Harvested in abundance primarily from the Sea of Japan, arame seaweed undergoes an extensive transformation from its original to its packaged form. This concise guide for using arame offers tips, ideas, and links to plant-based recipes for using this sea vegetable.
The extra-tough, yellowish-brown, foot-long arame fronds are cooked after harvesting, and then sun-dried. Turning almost black in color once dried, they are then machine-sliced into short, thin strands, resulting in a convenient, practically ready-to-use product.
Because of its appearance and texture, arame is most readily compared with hijiki. Though arame’s flavor is noticeably milder than that of hijiki, there is still an element of the distinct sea flavor.
Arame is a good alternative to hijiki, which has become suspect in recent years due to its high arsenic levels. Learn lots more in 19 Facts About Arame.
To reconstitute arame: soak it for 5 minutes in warm water before adding it to your recipe. Arame doubles in volume when reconstituted.
Arame Nutrition Notes
Like other sea vegetables, arame is rich in a variety of minerals, including calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, and iodine. It also provides modest amounts of vitamin A and several B vitamins. Take an in-depth look at the nutrients in arame.
Easy Ways to Use Arame
Arame with carrots and onions: Heat 1 tablespoon each peanut oil and sesame oil in a skillet and sauté 2 large carrots, thinly sliced or grated, and 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced, until both are golden. Add ½ cup or more of reconstituted arame and season with natural soy sauce and the juice of ½ lemon.
Arame stir-fry: Stir-fry 8 ounces or so of diced tofu in a small amount of sesame or safflower oil until golden. Add ½ cup or more reconstituted arame and 1 thinly sliced sweet green or red bell pepper and sauté until the pepper is tender-crisp. Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons of toasted sunflower seeds. Add soy sauce and lemon juice or rice vinegar to taste. Serve hot as a main dish with cooked grains.
Pasta pairing: Add ¼ cup reconstituted arame to each cup of your favorite recipe for spaghetti sauce and serve over hot pasta.
Soup enhancer: Add a small amount of reconstituted arame to Asian-style noodles or vegetable soups. It’s especially good in hot and sour soups. Use reconstituted arame as a garnish to add color and character to Asian-style noodle dishes, vegetable salads, or stir-fries. It’s especially good in stir-fries using green vegetables like green beans, broccoli, bok choy, or cabbage.
Vegan Crab Cakes with Potato from SpaBettie
make a delicious use of arame, and are gluten-free
Hijiki or Arame Tofu Burgers with Ginger Miso Dressing
are a delicious handful from Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen
More Plant-Based Recipes for Using Arame
- Vegan Chickpea “Tuna” Salad: Arame adds a light fishy to this vegan version of this lunchtime classic. Add on top of a salad, in a sandwich, or toasted in a pan with your favorite non-dairy cheese for a chickpea salad melt.
- Arame Cabbage Salad: Thinly sliced cabbage and peppers tossed with a tahini and plum vinegar dressing.
- Arame Avocado Salad: A plant-based cold dish teaming the sea vegetable with grains and avocado.
- Soba and Arame Salad: This striking black seaweed is a great addition to cold Asian noodles dishes.
- Brown Rice Arame: A macrobiotic sesame rice dish to serve alongside a soup or salad for a quick and nourishing dinner.
- Stir Fry with Arame, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Zucchini: Any summer garden vegetable would make a great addition to this stir-fry garnished with basil.
- Simmered Arame and Fried Tofu: A warm Japanese tofu bowl with shitake mushrooms and sesame oil.
- Tofu Veggie Stir-Fry with Arame and Basmati Rice: A satisfying and colorful main dish incorporating the sea vegetable.
More sea vegetable guides
- A Guide to Nori with Recipes that Aren’t Sushi
- A Guide to Kombu and Kelp
- A Guide to Wakame
- How to Use Alaria Seaweed (Wild Atlantic Wakame)
- How to Use Dulse (Atlantic Seaweed)
See more of our Good Food Guides.
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