Dulse, also known as dillisk, is a pretty and tasty red algae that grows on the northern coasts of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Scientifically, it is Palmaria palmata.

Eating dulse dates back over 1,400 years, first mentioned in writing by an Irish monk. Today, dulse is primarily harvested and eaten in Ireland, Iceland, and on the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the USA.

It has become increasingly popular thanks to the books by Anthony William. Note: These strips are not suitable for the blender—it's better to use the flakes.

Dulse at a Glance

Origin: Ireland, from wild harvest

Production: Air-dried (raw food) and “tobacco moist,” as one customer described the dulse.

Ingredients: Dulse (Palmaria palmata)

Allergens: Sea algae contain no allergens. However, as it is a natural product, traces of mollusks, crustaceans, or sand may be present.

Storage: Cool and dry

Warning: Algae are naturally rich in iodine. Excessive iodine intake can lead to thyroid function disorders. Daily intake must be adjusted to personal needs.

Of the various types of algae we offer, some are regularly tested for heavy metals.

Using Dulse

What does dulse taste like? What does dulse smell like?

Dulse tastes salty (the white secretions are salt!) and slightly nutty.

Our dulse is not dried rock-hard, as is customary in Ireland, but just enough to make it durable. (A customer described it as “tobacco moist.”) This keeps the algae tender so you can nibble it directly from the bag.

Sometimes dulse smells a bit more of the sea, sometimes less. As a minimally processed natural product, it can vary naturally. If you want to minimize the smell, store the dulse in an open bag for a while. Below, we explain how to store the algae.

How can I eat dulse?

First: you don’t need to wash the dulse. We even prefer it “dry,” straight from the bag.

The elongated leaves can be pulled apart and torn into thin, smaller pieces. Dulse is excellent as a snack this way—try a thin strip first.

The combination of fruit and dulse is unusual, but delicious,e.g. as a wrap for a dried apricot and a walnut. Dried fruits and nuts can be swapped to your taste: dates, almonds, Brazil nuts, raisins ... whatever you have at home.

You can also fry dulse in a pan to make crispy chips.

Dulse also tastes great in salads, as well as with potatoes and pasta. In soups and similar dishes, it enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.

Dulse can even be used in baking—e.g. for a savory bread. This is similar to Welsh laver bread, a specialty made with nori. In Iceland, dulse is eaten with butter. In Ireland, it was traditionally served with beer.

How do I store dulse?

Dulse should not be stored in the refrigerator. You can store it in two ways, depending on what you want to achieve:

- If you want to keep it “fresh” as it comes out of the bag, store it in the bag. It will dry out very slowly because the bag is not as airtight after opening as it was on delivery. This way, it will last at least until the best-before date, and actually indefinitely, as it continues to dry out.

- If you want to dry the dulse a bit more (and thus reduce the smell, for example), loosen the algae (the strands stick together) and store it in an open bag. It will dry quite quickly and is then practically indefinitely durable.

Tip: Algae dry quickly. However, you can easily refresh the sea vegetable: moisten the dulse with a plant sprayer or simply sprinkle it with some water. Then shake it in a bag so the water distributes evenly, and let it sit for at least 20 minutes.

How much iodine is in the algae?

It’s very difficult to provide an exact indication of iodine content per 100g, because it can vary greatly. Our dulse is a wild-harvested natural product. Iodine levels depend on the harvest location, harvest time, season, environmental influences, and more. Drying, storage, and preparation also affect iodine content. The value in the nutritional table is an average.

What else should I know about algae and dulse?

Dulse is a natural product. Depending on the harvest time (season), it can have a different color or texture; sometimes very tender and salty, sometimes more firm. Occasionally, you may also find (larger) shellfish between the leaves.

White spots that look like mold are simply sea salt.

Dulse dries out over time, and salt separates. The salt can look like mold, but it isn’t. When we started with algae, we asked the same question. We turned to Manus, our algae harvester with decades of experience. He explained everything to us and we are now passing this knowledge on to you.

You can test it yourself: place a strip in water. After absorbing the water, the strip will no longer have the white coating. With mold, the coating would remain—but not with salt. Mold also smells.

If you taste the dulse, you’ll notice it’s quite salty. Because it’s so salty and well-dried (but not dried so much that it’s no longer tender), we’ve had fewer cases of mold in over 10 years than you can count on one hand.

p.s. In a product image, you can see the good Manus harvesting. :-)