Although not the most popular of foods for many people, if you’re a fan of seaweed, then having a stash at home is a must. But, what’s the best way to keep it fresh tasting?
Can You Freeze Seaweed?
Yes, you can freeze seaweed for up to 1 year. Ā Pack seaweed into small Tupperware containers until they’re pretty much full then seal. You may want to wrap the containers in a sheet of cling film.
Do Does Seaweed freeze well? Yes
Can you refreeze Seaweed? Yes
How to Freeze Seaweed
Freezing seaweed isnāt too tricky, but itās worth following our advice to ensure you get it right.
- Pack Into Containers: Push the fresh seaweed into multiple small containers. If you have a mix of seaweed types, then ensure each pot has an even mix.
- Seal: Secure the lid to the top of the containers, ensuring it forms a tight seal. The last thing you want is seaweed-flavoured water pouring out in your freezer.
- Wrap: Wrap the containers in cling film for an added layer of protection.
- Label and Freeze: Finally, write a clear label on the tubs and then pop them into the freezer for up to a year.
How to Freeze Seaweed Sheets
If you’ve got seaweed sheets, also known as nori, then this is the method you’ll want to use. Remember to be gentle as the sheets are very fragile:
- Separate: Separate all the sheets of seaweed youāre using into portions, making it easier to manage when frozen and thawed. Once separated, stack the sheets so that theyāre easier to handle.
- Wrap: Wrap the portions of seaweed in a layer of baking paper. This forms the first layer as it is a little porous, meaning that the moisture from the seaweed isnāt trapped directly against it.
- Wrap Again: Wrapping the parcels in cloning film ensures that the moisture in the freezer wonāt form on the seaweed itself, as it forms an airtight barrier. This allows you to ensure the texture stays fairly consistent over time.
- Freeze: Freeze the packages of seaweed sheets in the centre of your freezer, where they will be far from freezer burn. They are a little more resilient than other, more delicate food items, but itās still worth placing them at the centre of your freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Seaweed
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing seaweed to have the best results:
Moist, Not Wet!
The seaweed youāre freezing should be moist enough for the plant cells within the seaweed to be a little saturated without the cells bursting from being overly full. Therefore, the seaweed should be wet to the touch but not dripping if you pick it up.Ā
Check the Seal
Ensure that you form a good seal in the cling film, as seaweed can have a pungent odour, depending upon where it was harvested. To ensure that odour doesnāt permeate your freezer, we recommend forming a great seal with the seaweed that youāre using.
Cook Before Freezing
If youāre using the seaweed for something, consider doing that and then freezing the finished dish. Frozen and thawed seaweed can become a little more delicate, so it can be wise to work with it before freezing.
How Long Can You Freeze Seaweed?
You can freeze seaweed very easily for up to a year.
Because the seaweed plant has evolved to handle moisture very well, it can handle the humidity and moisture in your freezer very well, too.
Fresh seaweed will only last for around 3 days in the fridge. Seaweed sheets, however, will keep for around 6 months.
How Do You Defrost Seaweed?
The best way to defrost seaweed is also the simplest, which is a very pleasant coincidence that we quite rarely see.
Place the wrapped seaweed into your fridge overnight and, when you return to it in the morning, you should find that the seaweed is thawed.
To do this more quickly, you could place the seaweed on the counter, but we would advise against cooking it from frozen.
Can You Refreeze Seaweed?
Yes, you can refreeze seaweed as many times as you might need to.
This is because it doesnāt contain any dangerous bacteria that might lead to a food safety issue.
You might notice the seaweed becoming progressively less fibrous as itās repeatedly frozen, but this isnāt necessarily bad.
Does Seaweed Freeze Well?
Yes, seaweed does freeze well. Itās quite a fibrous plant, and it comes from a very water-rich environment. These two things combine to create a food that freezes and remains frozen very well.
When thawed, some of the outer pieces of weed might be a little more tender than before, but this is generally quite hard to notice.Ā
Related FAQs
If youāve still got questions about freezing seaweed or seaweed in general, then these may help:
Seaweed salad can be frozen for around a year without a dressing or 3 months with a dressing, in Tupperware containers with a tight-fitting lid.
Sources
We have verified the information on this page using the following resources:
