Seaweed Gremolata

Recipe Courtesy of Maria Finn, Photo Courtesy of Mark C Anderson

Maria Finn is a fisherwoman, forager, chef, surfer and author who recently debuted Forage. Gather. Feast.: 100+ Recipes from West Coast Forests, Shores, and Urban Spaces. She also is a former spokesperson for Real Good Fish’s Monterey Bay-based community-supported fishery. Here appears one of her more versatile recipes that works wonders with local halibut, as detailed in her introduction from the book—which also doubles as a DIY foraging guide—reprinted with permission below. 

This is a simple green herb sauce that’s tangy from lemon, a little spicy and garlicky, but made with seaweed so it has a little more mineral flavor and depth. Fresh herbs you have on hand in any combination work well; chives or thyme can also be used. I find that rosemary can be overpowering, but a little is good, and garnishing with the blue rosemary blossoms adds a lovely and light touch.

Drizzle the gremolata over drier fish that needs a little fat, like lingcod or halibut, or work it into aioli for a quick, easy accompaniment to artichokes. I also like to drizzle it over half an avocado with some ikura for a quick breakfast or lunch.

MAKES 2 CUPS

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh tender herbs (such as a combination of parsley, basil, sage, and oregano), stemmed and roughly chopped

½ cup fresh seaweed (such as kombu, nori, and wakame, or any combination), roughly chopped, or ¼ cup dried flakes

Zest of 1 medium lemon

Juice of 1 medium lemon

2 large cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon red chili flakes

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Put all the ingredients into a blender and pulse a few times. Or you can mix by hand for a chunkier gremolata.

Making this a day in advance will allow the flavors to blend and the garlic to mellow a bit.

Store in a lidded container for up to 2 weeks.

Photo courtesy of Mark C Anderson