One of the first dishes on the 19-course tasting menu served at Tel Aviv’s OCD restaurant – recently voted third out of 50 restaurants in the Middle East by the Academy of Best Restaurants – is a cucumber tartlet stuffed with grouper, smoked aioli sauce and garnished with strips of fried seaweed… crimson!

The algae did not come from Japan, but from Michmoret, 40 kilometers to the north.

Seaweed is also not native to the sea, as one might assume. It is the product of an Israeli company that has developed a unique technology for growing algae on land.

At his farm near the Mediterranean coast, Seakura grows organic algae in pools with water pumped from a deep-sea well, filtered to remove contaminants, including heavy metals.

The grow ponds are divided into three sections, or what CEO Haim Oz calls “the baby house, the kid’s house, and the adult house.”

By regulating water temperature and light exposure, the algae yield is maximum and constant throughout the yearunlike the wild variety, which is seasonal and subject to environmental conditions that negatively affect growth and quality.

High in protein

In a world grappling with food shortages for a global population approaching 8 billion people and desperate for environmentally friendly sources, seaweed holds promise, although it has yet to catch on like other superfoods. even for those on a high protein diet.

People haven’t discovered that when it comes to protein, seaweed outweighs the usual sources of our dishes.

“Seaweed looks more like an egg than a plant,” says Oz. “It contains 32 grams of protein, compared to red meat (25 grams), chicken (21.7 grams) and an egg (12 grams).”

Of thousands of seaweed species, Seakura chose just two: Ulva (also known as sea lettuce), a leafy green variety that resembles the seaweed we know best; and the Gracilaria, with an intense reddish color and delicate fronds.

The company carried out a genetic selection to ensure the optimal amount of protein, minerals and vitamins.

Seaweed can also compete with, and often surpass, other superfoods like kale, chia, and spirulina for dietary fiber, magnesium, calcium, and most importantly, higher iodine content. Iodine deficiency is of most concern as it is one of the major nutritional deficiencies in the world today and can lead to serious health issues such as goiter and pregnancy-related issues.

Falafel with seaweed and pesto

During a visit to the farm, I sampled green leafy sea lettuce fresh from their hot tub-like pool of bubbles.

Even though its umami taste was tasty, the salinity was maintained for a good handful of hours and I couldn’t imagine eating a lot of it. For those who want to significantly increase their iodine intake, the Seakura line of supplements is probably best.

Another alternative is the new food products that the company launched this year. Nine Canadian supermarket chains carry Seakura’s Organic Seaweed Falafel Mix, various seaweed pastes with added lentils, corn or quinoa, two pesto options and flakes for seasoning.

In Italy, Seakura supplies the well-established frozen food company Rispo with fresh seaweed. Recently, Rispo added a ball of frozen seaweed pancakes to its savory frittelle line. The packaging suggests serving the balls with an appetizer or as party food.

Total exports to Europe have increased significantly in recent years, says Oz, rising from 34 to 100 tonnes a year.

Put seaweed on our plates

So why aren’t seaweed products filling our supermarket shelves in Israel?

“We are in contact with all the top chefs in Israel, who love our freshly picked product. In Asia, it is part of their diet. But for the rest of the world, including Israel, seaweed is an unknown and exotic food.Oz explains.

“People used to say they thought it was the boring thing that sticks to your legs on the beach, not something to eat. Now they realize how healthy and tasty it is.

Despite these challenges, Seakura aspires to ‘put seaweed on the plate of one in five Israelis’ and not only in sushi”.

On the day of my visit to the farm, a delegation from the United Arab Emirates sat down to a brunch laden with seaweed dishes: seaweed pesto with seaweed crackers, broad bean and seaweed salad, baked eggplant steamed with peanut-sesame sauce with seaweed garnish and a healthy smoothie of apple, celery and seaweed.

Maybe our dishes will look alike in the not too distant future.