Seafood Made Simple: Seaweed scones and herb butter make for sea-deep flavours
When we consider the term seafood, we typically think of fish and shellfish, but the waters that surround our island offer us much more with sea vegetables and seaweeds.
This time of the year you'll find rock and marsh samphire, sea kale, sea spinach and smaller sea plants like purslane.
There are hundreds of varieties of seaweeds native to Ireland, pepper dulse being my most favourite. Also known as sea truffle, with wonderful black garlic undertones, it's a smaller sized seaweed but deeply savoury.
Anthony Irwin and Angela Healy are growing two fabulous varieties of Irish seaweed in the pristine waters off the Mullet Peninsula in North west county Mayo.
At their ocean farm, Dulra, they are cultivating winged kelp and sugar kelp seaweeds.
Rope-grown with locally sourced seeds, this form of aquaculture is regenerative creating safe nursery grounds for young fish and crustaceans, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as providing a nutritious food source.
Seaweed is an important ingredient in my store cupboard, delivering deep umami and meaty flavours to so many dishes.
It's a fantastic substitute for salt and makes a brilliant seasoning for spuds, vegetables and breads.
For this weekend's recipe, I've used some sugar kelp seaweed to flavour a brown scone mix. You can, of course, use any dried seaweed you can get your hands on.
Most varieties are available dried and powdered or flaked, which makes it an easy addition to any bake. Look for dilisk, nori and kelp.
Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés.
There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen.
Seaweed scones with herb butter
recipe by:Aishling Moore
Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés. There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen.
Servings
12
Preparation Time
30 mins
Cooking Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Course
Baking
Ingredients For the scones:
300g plain flour
150g wholemeal flour
30g baking powder
½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp dried seaweed flakes (such as kelp, dillisk or nori)
85g unsalted butter, diced and chilled
2 large eggs
225ml milk
Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk)
Sea salt flakes
For the herb butter:
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
50g soft herbs (such as dill, chervil, parsley, fennel fronds)
Zest of half a lemon
Sea salt flakes
Place the unsalted butter in a large bowl and beat using a spatula.
Roughly chop the herbs and add along with the lemon zest and sea salt.
Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve at room temperature.
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C/fan 220°C/gas mark 7.
Sieve the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and seaweed and mix well to evenly disperse.
Add the diced cubes of chilled butter and rub them in using clean and dry hands. Do this until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs.
In a separate bowl, add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine.
Make a well in the centre of the bowl, containing the dry ingredients and butter.
Add the egg and milk mixture.
Mix to bring together, forming a soft dough. Making sure there are no pockets of flour.
Dust your work surface with some plain flour. Place the scone dough on top and shape to form a round. It's important at this point not to knead the dough and handle it as little as possible.
Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough to about 2cm and stamp out the scones using a cutter of your choice, wasting as little as possible working from the outside of the dough.
Place on a large baking sheet, brush with egg wash and finish with a sprinkling of sea salt and seaweed flakes.
Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm with a generous helping of herb butter.
Fish tales
Chilled butter for the scone mixture is vital to achieve a tender-textured scone.
I love using wholemeal flour in scones for a more complex flavour, but you could just use plain flour.
It's important not to over work the dough and handle as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour.
It's always great to freeze half a dozen or so of the uncooked scones, which can be baked from frozen.
For best results making the herb butter, use a stand mixer with the butter at room temperature.
You'll find a great selection of native Irish seaweeds in most health food stores.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Spud lovers urged to ditch boiling for faster method that seals in flavour
Potatoes have been a beloved staple in Irish kitchens for generations, appearing in everything from hearty stews to fresh salads. While boiling has long been the go-to method for cooking spuds, experts are now urging fans to switch to a quicker, more flavourful way: steaming. According to cooking experts at Epicurious and Epi Test Kitchen, steaming potatoes not only cuts cooking time in half but also locks in more of their natural flavour. Unlike boiling, which requires waiting for a whole pot of water to come to a boil, steaming only needs a small amount of water, making it faster and more efficient. Boiling potatoes can take anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes depending on their size, but steaming speeds up the process while preserving essential nutrients and vitamins. Plus, it means less cleanup - no more battling piles of pots and pans in the sink. Steaming potatoes is simple and requires minimal prep. Peel them thinly and chop into similarly sized chunks to ensure even cooking. Place the pieces in a steaming basket over boiling water, cover and let the steam work its magic. In about 10 minutes, your potatoes will be tender, flavourful and ready to enjoy. Serve steamed spuds as a tasty side dish with meat, fish or vegetarian meals, or toss them into salads for a fresh twist. Season them with salt, pepper, olive oil or fresh herbs like chives to suit your taste. For anyone short on time but unwilling to compromise on taste, steaming is an easy, healthy way to elevate your potato dishes - no special skills needed, just a steamer basket and a little patience. For the latest news and breaking news visit Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time. We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and
Irish Independent
15 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Sarah Carey: As its 100th anniversary sails into view, the BBC's ‘Shipping Forecast' is the ultimate in comfort radio
I'm jumping the gun a bit, but there's a centenary coming up in October, and it's of global significance. It will be 100 years since the first broadcast of the Shipping Forecast on the BBC World Service/Radio 4. I'm part of the unquantified Irish BBC Radio 4 community. We don't appear in the JNLRs, but I've always wondered how many of us there are out there.
Irish Examiner
19 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Seafood Made Simple: Seaweed scones and herb butter make for sea-deep flavours
Seaweed, an often-forgotten food, has been eaten in Ireland for centuries. Approximately 40,000 tonnes of seaweed is harvested in Ireland every year. When we consider the term seafood, we typically think of fish and shellfish, but the waters that surround our island offer us much more with sea vegetables and seaweeds. This time of the year you'll find rock and marsh samphire, sea kale, sea spinach and smaller sea plants like purslane. There are hundreds of varieties of seaweeds native to Ireland, pepper dulse being my most favourite. Also known as sea truffle, with wonderful black garlic undertones, it's a smaller sized seaweed but deeply savoury. Anthony Irwin and Angela Healy are growing two fabulous varieties of Irish seaweed in the pristine waters off the Mullet Peninsula in North west county Mayo. At their ocean farm, Dulra, they are cultivating winged kelp and sugar kelp seaweeds. Rope-grown with locally sourced seeds, this form of aquaculture is regenerative creating safe nursery grounds for young fish and crustaceans, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as providing a nutritious food source. Seaweed is an important ingredient in my store cupboard, delivering deep umami and meaty flavours to so many dishes. It's a fantastic substitute for salt and makes a brilliant seasoning for spuds, vegetables and breads. For this weekend's recipe, I've used some sugar kelp seaweed to flavour a brown scone mix. You can, of course, use any dried seaweed you can get your hands on. Most varieties are available dried and powdered or flaked, which makes it an easy addition to any bake. Look for dilisk, nori and kelp. Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés. There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen. Seaweed scones with herb butter recipe by:Aishling Moore Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or pâtés. There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen. Servings 12 Preparation Time 30 mins Cooking Time 15 mins Total Time 45 mins Course Baking Ingredients For the scones: 300g plain flour 150g wholemeal flour 30g baking powder ½ tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp sea salt 2 tsp dried seaweed flakes (such as kelp, dillisk or nori) 85g unsalted butter, diced and chilled 2 large eggs 225ml milk Egg wash (1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk) Sea salt flakes For the herb butter: 250g unsalted butter at room temperature 50g soft herbs (such as dill, chervil, parsley, fennel fronds) Zest of half a lemon Sea salt flakes Place the unsalted butter in a large bowl and beat using a spatula. Roughly chop the herbs and add along with the lemon zest and sea salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve at room temperature. Method Preheat oven to 220°C/fan 220°C/gas mark 7. Sieve the flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar, salt and seaweed and mix well to evenly disperse. Add the diced cubes of chilled butter and rub them in using clean and dry hands. Do this until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. In a separate bowl, add the eggs and milk and whisk to combine. Make a well in the centre of the bowl, containing the dry ingredients and butter. Add the egg and milk mixture. Mix to bring together, forming a soft dough. Making sure there are no pockets of flour. Dust your work surface with some plain flour. Place the scone dough on top and shape to form a round. It's important at this point not to knead the dough and handle it as little as possible. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough to about 2cm and stamp out the scones using a cutter of your choice, wasting as little as possible working from the outside of the dough. Place on a large baking sheet, brush with egg wash and finish with a sprinkling of sea salt and seaweed flakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm with a generous helping of herb butter. Fish tales Chilled butter for the scone mixture is vital to achieve a tender-textured scone. I love using wholemeal flour in scones for a more complex flavour, but you could just use plain flour. It's important not to over work the dough and handle as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour. It's always great to freeze half a dozen or so of the uncooked scones, which can be baked from frozen. For best results making the herb butter, use a stand mixer with the butter at room temperature. You'll find a great selection of native Irish seaweeds in most health food stores.
