Welcome to the Celtnet Spice Guide. As this site has grown and many more recipes have been added it's become evident that a guide to the various herbs available to the cook is necessary. With spices becoming more commonly available and more exotic spices becoming available from all over the world it has become evident that some kind of guide or introduction to spices is necessary. These pages are an attempt at bringing all the various culinary spices together into one place so that you can see what's available and perhaps find something new to use in your own cooking. To use this Spice Guide simply click on the first letter of the herb name above or below. Alternativey why not just browse through the guide. All the spices given here, whether common or rare, can be obtained via your local supermarket (or more often via your local Asian supermarket) or via a specialist spice distributor.

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 herb: 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).

The use of pepper dulse as a spice is why it is also included in this guide to spices.

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
Dulse Chowder
Raw Sea Vegetable Salad