Sea Vegetable
Sea Lettuce
Sea lettuce is bright green Ulva seaweed with thin, ruffled sheets that taste clean, briny, and slightly grassy. Used fresh in salads, dried as flakes, or lightly toasted as a seasoning. Harvest from clean waters only; Ulva can accumulate contaminants in polluted areas. Young bright fronds are preferred.
Also known as: Aosa / Anori, Parae, Sea Lettuce, Laitue de mer
Explore further
Breeds, cuts & preparations
Variety
AosaGreen LaverSea Lettuce SheetUlva lactucaUlva pertusaUlva rigida
Source
AquacultureOutdoor FarmedWild
Provenance
Fair TradeHand HarvestedOrganicSeasonalSingle OriginSustainableWild Harvested
Preparation
BoiledDriedFlakeFreshFrozenPickledPowderRoastedSalad CutSheetSoakedSteamedStripToastedWhole
CommonCharacteristic
BrightBrinyDelicateFreshGrassyMarineMildMineral
History
Coastal peoples worldwide foraged Ulva as a fresh green sea vegetable.
JP
Japanese and Korean coasts used aosa/garland sea lettuces in soups and seasonings.
Scientific naming and coastal forage guides documented sea lettuce as everyday wild food.
Chefs and foragers revived sea lettuce in Nordic and Atlantic fine-dining menus.