Dabberlocks, Wing kelp, Atlantic wakame
Alaria esculenta

Family: Alariaceae

What it is like

A seaweed. It is olive of yellow-brown. The fronds are long and ribbed. They can be 4 m long and 25 cm wide. They are attached to the rocks by a holdfast at the base. This has a flexible stipe and one or more fronds attached to it. The reproductive structures are on leaflets (sporophylls) near the base.

Where it is found

It grows in temperate waters. It grows on rocks in low tide places in the north Atlantic and can occur in rock pools.

Countries/locations it is found in

Alaska, Arctic, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Europe, Faroe Islands, France, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Russia, Scandinavia, Scotland, Siberia, USA

How it is used for food

The midrib is sweet and crunchy. It is added to soups, stews, sandwiches and salads. The sporophylls are nutty. They are eaten raw. The fronds need processing before eaten to remove the acrid taste. They are soaked in water for one or two days before cooking. They are dried and smoked. It can yield a gel for gelatin making.

Edible parts

Seaweed, midrib, sporophylls, frond, algae

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

American wakame, Atlantic wakame, Badderlock, Butare, Bu-tarre, Edible fucus, Henware, Honeyware, Keys murlins, Lady's tresses, Murlins, Ribini

Synonyms

Laminaria esculenta (Linnaeus) C. Agardh; and many others