Welcome to the Celtnet guide to wild edible seaweeds. As this recipe site has grown it has become necessary to split out and make more readily acessible various sub-sections of the site. The number of edible seaweeds described on this site has not grown large enough that they warrant their own page, as well as being described amongst the other wild foods on the site. These pages are an attempt at bringing all links to the edible seaweeds described here into one place. To use this guide simply click on the image or the name of the seaweed described below. This will take you through to a page describing the seaweed and which also provides links on this site to recipes describing the means of preparation of that particular seaweed.

This is the description page for Pepper Dulse (Osmundea pinnatifida) and includes a description as well as an image, if available and a selection of recipes from this site that relates to the wild foodstuff: Pepper Dulse.

Pepper Dulse, Osmundea pinnatifida (also known as Laurencia pinnatifida and Scottish Pepper) is a small red alga (and a member of the Rhodomelaceae family [dulse]). It grows grows profusely on exposed to moderately sheltered rocky shores and is common to the middle and lower rocky shores, often covering large areas with a greenish-yellow turf like growth in pools and on rocks but never subtidal. It is red in colour and typically up to 8cm in length which is tough and cartilaginous with flattened fronds. Branching is alternate and occurs in one plane only, with branches becoming shorter towards their apex and broadly rounded. However, the plant can be hightly variable in size and colouration and it's precise form depends upon its location the shore. Higher shore plants are generally dwarfed and yellow-green in colour, owing to exposure to high levels of sunshine while on the lower shore they are reddish-brown. Indeed, the colour varies depending on the overall sunlight available to the plant. It grows purple under shady conditions to green with strong sunlight.

The seaweed is highly aromatic and though the its tough nature tends to make it unpopular as a direclty useful edible species it can be used in small quantities, if shredded, to flavour stir-fires where it imparts an interesting peppery taste. Indeed, it used to be collected in large quantities in Scotland where it was dried and used as a pepper substitute (some traditional soups and broths of the Highlands and Islands still require dried pepper dulse as an ingredient).

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

Sea Vegetable Soup
Dried Pepper Dulse
Seaweed Seasoning
Moules Marinière with Green Laver and Pepper Dulse
Scotch Broth with Pepper Dulse
Buttered Bladderwrack