Daisy Picks – Sea Aster

Every fortnight we bring you ‘Daisy Picks‘ where our head of customer relations & accounts will choose her favourite product and share with you all why she thinks it’s a must have in the kitchen and what she would pair it with.

Daisy is always up to date with all of our latest products here at Nurtured in Norfolk and went on to say..

“Did you know our Sea Aster holds a high amount of vitamins and minerals?”

Daisy explains what would be Sea Aster’s perfect partner:

“and pairs lovely with any fish dish”

Some other tasty ways to use this versatile sea vegetable would be to briefly blanch or stir-fry, it can also be used as a raw ingredient. Rinse the leaves, but not too long, so that the vegetable will keep its salty taste. You can add sea aster cooked or raw to a dish, but when stir-fried or blanched, Sea Aster has a flavour similar to spinach.

Daisy’s Top Hacks…

• Naturally sweet vegetables help to balance out the saltiness of Sea Aster and also add’s a rich vibrant colour that makes vegan soups, salads and stir-fries look gorgeous.
• Sea Aster can be fried or dehydrated to make crispy snacks or added to stir-fries.
• Cook with Sea Aster for added minerals. Just add Sea Aster to the pot at any time you are boiling or simmering liquid to enjoy umami and health benefits from the sea.
• Fry Sea Aster gently in sesame oil or coconut oil with plenty of vegetables, some chopped ginger root and a splash of soy sauce. A choice that’s healthy and delicious .
• Unlike salt, you can cook beans with Sea Aster from the start, having a tenderising effect. The natural sodium content make sea vegetable dishes very tasty without any added salt.
• Tear off a small piece of Sea Aster and toss it in your smoothies for a green drink that is especially rich in iodine.
• If you need to reduce Sea Aster’s saltiness, simply blanch for 30-35 seconds or soak for 1-2 hours, before placing into ice water.

Read more about these hacks & recipes here.

Did you know…

Sea Aster is one of the most flavoursome wild edible plants if you are into ‘gourmet foraging’. Often overlooked by many, it holds its texture very well, has an unusual, but highly more-dish taste.

Sea Aster has diuretic properties and high amounts of vitamin A, C and D content. Sea Aster also contains a lot of iron.

Sea Aster is a leafy light-green vegetable that is a superb, tender, salty succulent and complex sweet flavour with hints of iron and nut.

Want to know more?

Please do contact us via our ‘Get in Touch’ page above, on any information you would like to know about our range of  products.