Stuff on Seaweed!

I'm a huge fan of seaweed. Here are some interesting varieties I picked up at the local station market.

1. “Kuki Wakame” – seaweed stems (top left)
- fantastic in salads with ume or ponzu dressing
2. “Tororo Kombu” – pickled, shredded kombu kelp (top right)
- used in soups, on udon or soba noodles, and rice
3. “Gagome Kombu” – brownish, very sticky kelp with fronds like basket mesh (bottom left)
- hailed locally as a super-food, high in anti-oxidants, eaten in soup, on rice
4. “Mekabu Kombu” – the thick, ruffled part near the root of the seaweed plant (bottom right)
- wild grown and hand-harvested, eaten in soup or in salads, on rice or noodles