Coastal Herbalism recipes

  • A nudge and a reason to get out there into the beautiful coastal landscape East Lothian has to offer, and see the potential of the healing plants around you.

  • Exploring herbs with properties to support health and wellbeing connects us to the place, to nature and to the seasons.

  • Being out in the fresh air sometimes takes a leap: to wrap up warm and step out in these cold dark months. But just spending a short time in nature, and appreciating the beauty of the coastline is good for our heart and soul. We hope you find moments of connection and inspiration, and an invitation to take a little bit of what grows in abundance home with you to savour or share.

In order to forage seaweed without getting wet you will want to check a tides table and head out at the lowest point of the low tide. I usually plan to start walking out an hour before low tide, so that we can go quite far and access the deeper growing seaweeds - such as Oar Weed which is one of the Kelp family species - and still be back on dry land without getting caught up in the rising tide.

To forage seaweed, bring a basket to carry the seaweed home in, and some small scissors. It’s really important not to be tempted to pull the seaweed off; they may look tough but seaweed habitats are fragile and it’s best to avoid walking directly on seaweed if you can. Always use scissors allowing it to continue growing from the ‘holdfast’.

Generally, I store seaweed in a dried form. At home rinse the seaweed well and lay out on sheets or a rack to thoroughly dry. If you have a dehydrator, this is very useful to speed up the process! Coarsely grind the dried seaweed in a food processor and store in air-tight glass jars.

You can always powder further if the recipe requires: the more it is ground up, the more quickly it will oxidise and lose its flavour.

Kelp Crisps

  • One long, freshly storm cast Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) frond (approx. 100g), or

  • Similar weight of small sections of Oar Weed (Laminaria digitata) (harvested well above the holdfast and cut well up the stipe).

  • 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

Rinse the Sugar Kelp / Oar Weed to remove any sand, but don’t rub off the mannitol (the slippery coating on the kelp’s surface). Cut into rectangles about 4-5cm long. Discard any pieces that show signs of decay; use in the garden by soaking off-cuts in water for a few days and use the ‘tea’ as liquid fertiliser.

Drizzle over the maple syrup and toss to coat evenly.

Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180˚C for 15 minutes, shaking to turn every 5 minutes. The crisps will turn green and crunchy - and can burn quickly so keep a close eye! The exact baking time will depend on the thickness of the sugar kelp.

If using an air fryer, the same temperature and timing is used however I find the air fryer makes a crisper crisp!

Eat immediately, they go chewy if you try to store them.

Sea Buckthorn Biscuits

These are an almond-based biscuit with a delightful zing! Gluten and dairy free, although you can adapt the recipe to replace the rice flour with wheat flour. I use rice flour to cater for diverse dietary requirements, and the shortbread like texture works well with the almond and Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides).

  • 1 egg

  • 200g almond paste (e.g. ready-made marzipan)

  • 100 ml fresh Sea Buckthorn juice

  • 2 tbsp unrefined organic sugar

  • 250g rice flour / 200g plain organic flour  

Pre-heat the oven to 170˚C.

In a large bowl combine the egg, almond paste, Sea Buckthorn juice and sugar, and knead well. Roll your sleeves up, it’s juicy! You can give the mix a quick whizz with an electric whisk to get it really smoothe.

Sieve in the flour, and fold together. You’ll have a very loose dough. Make little mounds on a well-oiled baking sheet, and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden. 

Mermaid biscuits

This recipe is taken from Fiona Bird’s book Seaweed in the Kitchen, where you’ll find many uses for various seaweeds, as well as tips on foraging and identification. These biscuits are really easy to make with kids; get creative with the cutter shapes!

Take care when harvesting the Gut Weed (also called Mermaid’s Hair) for these biscuits. The Ulva species’ holdfast is very small, so it is easily ripped off the rock; use scissors and be gentle!

  • 3 tsp Sea Grass (Ulva intestinalis), dried and roughly chopped

  • 125g unsalted butter

  • 75g unrefined caster sugar

  • 180g plain organic flour

  • 1 egg yolk

Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl.

Add the flour and chopped Seaweed, and fold together binding the dough with the egg yolk. Work the dough together then pop the ball into the fridge for about 20 minutes to chill.

Flour the work surface, then roll the dough out to 1cm thickness. Using a cookie cutter, cut out biscuits and lay on a non-stick baking sheet.

Bake in a pre-heated oven for 12 minutes, at 180˚C.

Remove from the oven and leave them on the sheet for a couple of minutes, before transferring to a cooling rack. Once cool, store in an airtight tin.

Mermaid biscuits with Gut Weed

Sea Zest seasoning

‘Sea Zest’ combines three highly nutritional plants for a tasty herbal seasoning that adds umami flavour to vegetables, meats, sandwiches, and salads.

  • 3 parts Sesame seeds: an excellent source of the minerals including copper and manganese, and a good amount of magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and zinc.

  • 1 part dried, coarsley ground Kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana): contains a vast amount of nutrients. According to the authors of Vegetables from the Sea:

    “All the minerals required for human beings, including calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, iodine, iron and zinc are present in sufficient amounts. In addition there are many trace elements in seaweeds.” Kelp also has significant amounts of vitamins A and C, as well as B1, B2, B6, Niacin, and B12.

  • 1 part dried, coarsley round Nettle leaf (Urtica dioica): Nettle is one of our most nutritious plants, containing high amounts of calcium, magnesium, chromium, and zinc. Dry the leaves and blitz them when you want to use them. If you grind them in advance, it will oxidise and you’ll loose a lot of the herbal benefits.

Lightly toast the sesame seeds, then grind to a powder in a food processor.

If you’re starting with fresh herbs, dry them very well and pulse to a granulated consistency in a food processor.

Combine the ingredients in a large bowl then store in air-tight containers / jars. Because sesame seeds are high in oils, this seasoning should be stored carefully so it doesn’t go rancid. I find it is best stored in the fridge and used within a month.

Seaweed Salt

To make a flavourful salt, combine sea salt, dried seaweed and dried granulated Rosemary. I have used a combination of Pepper Dulse, Laver (nori) & Serrated Wrack.

  • 2 parts coarsely pulsed dried Seaweed

  • 1 part sea salt

  • 1 part coarsely pulsed dried Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis)

Mix together in a bowl, and store in a glass jar to sprinkle. It’ll add a refreshing, bright umami flavour and is epic on chips!

Deep dive into Kelp

Reviewing entries on the health benefits of Kelp suggests a wide range of actions and a holistic whole-body herbal ally. A wonderful and detailed description of the properties of Kelp as a medicinal herb is provided on the Wild Rose College of Herbal Medicine website, and is well worth a read.

Kelp is considered deeply nourishing and it is said that just eating 5g / day can help your body in all the following ways:

  • Eating just a small amount of kelp daily helps tonify many of our body systems,

  • It can help heal heart and circulation related problems,

  • Daily use also provides optimum nourishment for our hormonal, lymphatic, urinary and nervous systems,

  • Kelp enhances response time and strength of our immune system,

  • It helps loosen stiff joints,

  • Kelp helps the digestive system, soothing and nourishing distressed surfaces and helping maintain a healthy balance of digestive yeasts and bacteria,

  • It also helps with elimination of radiation, pollutants, and heavy metals if eaten regularly.

Now that's a lot of health claims! The best approach as always in herbalism is to explore the plants / macroalgae and connect with them, and feel for yourself if it has any benefits to your sense of health and wellbeing. Listening to our own bodies, and feeling how it responds to herbs we use to support healthy minds and bodies is at the heart of effective herbalism.