Laver

When fresh, this is a rosy purple variety of seaweed (Porphyra umbilicalis) that grows in flaps, fronds, and branches and is typically boiled in Ireland and England. In China and Japan, it is dried and pressed into brittle, thin, olive-purple sheets that earn it the Chinese name of “purple vegetable.” To be crisp and tasty, it must either be deep-fried or toasted over a flame. Then it has a wonderful flavor, slightly reminiscent of good bacon.

For flame-toasting and crumbling into a simple soup, I use the plain laver sold in folded sheets in elongated, rectangular cellophane packages in Chinese and Japanese markets, usually labeled Dried Laver and/or by its Japanese name, nori. For wrapping around shrimp rolls, I prefer the precut and seasoned laver that is a Japanese specialty called ajitsuke nori. True to the Japanese love of packaging and austere cleanliness, these small rectangular strips are wrapped several to an individual bag, put on a larger tray with a packet of demoisturizer, then the whole thing is packed in a large, rectangular cellophane pouch. Opening the package takes longer than it does to eat the nori! The brand I like is Hanabishi’s Flavored Sea-Weeds (sic) Wafers: Ajitsuke Nori, in a colorful red, white, and blue package. If you cannot find the seasoned variety, use the plain sort and make up for the plainer taste with an extra dusting of Roasted Szechwan Pepper-Salt or a light brushing with Five-Flavor Oil after the shrimp rolls are cooked.