Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Sea Spaghetti along with all the Sea Spaghetti containing recipes presented on this site, with 6 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Sea Spaghetti as a major wild food ingredient.

Sea Spaghetti, Himanthalia elongata (also known as Buttonweed, Thongweed and Sea Thong) is a large brown alga (and a member of the Himanthaliaceae family) that represents the sole member of the genus Himanthalia. It is is typically dark brown in colour (but can range from yellow-brown to very dark brown) and which is distributed in the north east Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea. Typically it is seen along the Atlantic coast between Southern Spain and the Faroe Islands, including the Baltic Sea and can be seen all year round. It begins as a button-shaped vegetative thallus (see image) typically about 30mm in diameter and some 25mm tall. From the centre of these develop a long, narrow, strap-like, sparingly branched, light yellow-brown reproductive receptacle to 2m in length and up to 10 mm in width, on which the conceptacles are borne. The buttons (thallus) develop from the plant's zygotes in late summer and mature over winter. Originally they are club-shaped but later develop into mushroom shapes (they resemble trumpet-shaped mushrooms). During January and February the reproductive receptacles begin to form from the centre of each button. Typically each button will grow 4 to 6 dichotomies from which the fronds elongate and thicken. These grow fast and can reach up to two metres by the following summer when they become mature. They bear the conceptacles, the reproductive organs, and begin to decay when the gametes have been released into the water. The discs live for two or three years. Each frond is sparingly-branched along its length and become reproductively mature between July and September, when the seaweed is typically collected (it is collected commercially in Ireland). The typical habitat is on gently-sloping rocks at semi-wave-exposed shores. It is found on gently shelving rocky shores in the lower littoral zone and the sublittoral zone particularly on shores with moderate wave exposure, Occasionally sparse populations can develop in sheltered lagoons and these tend to be more yellow and less flattened. It can easily be recognized by the long, thong-like fronds that develop from basal mushroom-like buttons. Often they are found in dense mats lining the sea-shore (see image). Where seaweed are common, it is often found as a distinct seaweed bed just below the level where serrated wrack Fucus serratus grows.

The seaweed is harvested commercially in Ireland and France and sold for human consumption. Typically the reproductive receptacles are gathered when mature and are then air-dried before being cut into spaghetti-sized lengths before being packaged. To eat the dried seaweed is soaked in water. It can either be boiled for about 10 minutes and used as a direct substitute for pasta or it can be cut into lengths and used raw is salads and other dishes. Sea Spaghetti has a very mild taste and is one of the more approachable edible seaweeds.

Sea spaghetti most closely resembles spinach tagliatelle in appearance. It can be used in any recipe that calls for spaghetti or tagliatelle and also makes an excellent substitute for spaghetti squash. It can be used as a substitute to prepare gluten-free pasta meals.

For other edible seaweeds (sea vegetables), see the guide to edible seaweed

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants