Nori

This is a generic term for a variety of marine vegetables cultivated and harvested in Japan. It is unfortunate that the derogatory word “weed” has come into such common usage. The Japanese have cultivated and harvested sea vegetables for centuries, and among the many varieties regularly consumed in Japan, Asakusa nori—paper-thin sheets of pressed, dried alga—is the most popular here in the United States. Throughout this book I recommend the purchase of yaki nori, which is high-quality Akasusa nori that has been pretoasted. It is best to buy flat, unfolded, full-sized (about 7½ x 6¹/2-inch) sheets of pretoasted seaweed. These come in ten- and fifty-sheet packages. After opening the pack, store them, with their anti-moisture packets from the original package, in a closed bag or tin, in the freezer. The sheets will defrost instantaneously and may be refrozen any number of times.