How to preserve crispy fresh Seaweed correctly

What is grape seaweed?

Grape seaweed has the English name Sea Grapes, often called green caviar or sea grapes because of its appearance like tiny green grapes. But they are actually a type of seaweed – a green algae from the coastal regions of the Indo-Pacific.

They are traditionally mined wild on the seabed, mainly growing in subtropical oceans. Currently, in Vietnam, to meet the needs of coastal provinces, grape seaweed is also very popular.

Grape seaweed has a characteristic fresh taste of the ocean. It has a slightly salty taste and texture like water bubbles. When eaten, it will break in the mouth, creating a very interesting feeling. The Japanese call this texture “puchi puti”, which is an onomatopoeia for small things that are breaking apart.

How to preserve fresh and crispy grape seaweed

Preserving fresh seaweed

Grape seaweed has a watery structure, which is easily damaged when left in high temperature or sunlight. To keep grape seaweed fresh and crisp, you should store grape seaweed in room conditions with limited exposure to air.

Put the grape seaweed in the box and then cover it or use a zip bag and vacuum it. Place grape seaweed in a cool place, avoid sunlight.

The ideal temperature for storing grape seaweed is 15-28oC. With this preservation method, you will preserve grape seaweed for about 7 days. It is best to use grape seaweed within 5 days from the time of purchase to get the most stable quality.

Absolutely do not store grape seaweed in the refrigerator, low temperature will cause the grape seaweed to shrivel. Therefore, you should buy enough grape seaweed to use in a short time to avoid waste.

Preserving raisins seaweed

Raisins are also known as dehydrated grape seaweed. Centrifugal rotation technology to perform the process of separating water and removing impurities, then salting and vacuum packaging to preserve grape seaweed for longer.

With raisin seaweed, you can store it in the refrigerator and enjoy it gradually. The shelf life of raisins is up to 6 months.

With raisin seaweed that has been preliminarily separated from water and packed in a vacuum bag, you can store it in the freezer and enjoy it gradually.

Before eating, you wash the dried seaweed 2-3 times and then soak it in water for 3 to 5 minutes so that the seaweed expands and becomes greener. Then marinate the grape seaweed in a bowl of ice to make it crispy and ready to use.