Irish Moss

Sea Vegetable

Irish Moss

Irish moss (carrageen moss, Chondrus crispus) is a red seaweed traditionally simmered for gels, drinks, and thickening. It is a natural source of carrageenan and has a mild marine flavour when cleaned and cooked. Sold dried whole or as flakes. Distinct from processed pure carrageenan powder used in industry.

Also known as: Carrageen, Carrageen Moss, Irish Moss, Irish Moss, Mousse d'Irlande

Track this ingredient

Unit

Cuts & parts

Breeds & varieties

A sample of named types with their own origin and culinary profiles.

View all

Characteristics

Preparations

BoiledDriedFlakeFreshFrozenPickledPowderRoastedSalad CutSheetSoakedSteamedStripToastedWhole

Provenance

Fair TradeHand HarvestedOrganicSeasonalSingle OriginSustainableWild Harvested

Sources

AquacultureOutdoor FarmedWild

Traits

BrinyCleanGelatinousMarineMildMineralNeutralSubtle

Nutrition and pairings

Nutrition

Typical values per 100 g edible portion. Nutrient names open the reference page.

Nutrition Facts

Per 100 g edible portion

Calories 33.9

Amount per 100 g

  • Total Fat 0.49 g
  • Saturated Fat 0.11 g
  • Trans Fat 0 g
  • Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g
  • Polyunsaturated Fat 0.21 g
  • Cholesterol 0 mg
  • Sodium 917 mg
  • Salt 2.57 g
  • Total Carbohydrate 5.7 g
  • Dietary Fibre 3.95 g
  • Total Sugars 0.53 g
  • Complex / starch 0.48 g
  • Protein 3.91 g
  • Water 86.1 g
Detailed nutrients

Sea vegetables bring iodine, minerals, and saltiness with modest calories when rehydrated.

In the kitchen

Culinary partners and combinations that usually underperform with Irish Moss.

Pairs well with

Classic and complementary matches

Usually avoid with

Often clash in flavour or tradition

History

IE

Atlantic Irish and Scottish coasts used carrageen moss in folk cookery and remedies.

IE

Irish moss blancmange and gels became known beyond coastal harvesting communities.

Industrial carrageenan extraction from Chondrus and related red algae expanded worldwide.

Whole-food Irish moss returned to specialty sea-vegetable and natural-food markets.

An unhandled error has occurred. Reload 🗙

Rejoining the server...

Rejoin failed... trying again in seconds.

Failed to rejoin.
Please retry or reload the page.

The session has been paused by the server.

Failed to resume the session.
Please retry or reload the page.