Making seaweed snacks in Groningen

It is a sunny Thursday afternoon on our road trip through Groningen when we step inside 't Ailand. The restaurant is special in its own way. The place is a bit cluttered, there are several mermaids to be found and, together with posters of fish and shellfish, this makes the restaurant a real fishing spot. We are immediately given a friendly welcome by Barbara, the person who also leads the workshop.

Barbara is a true fisherman. Her clothes are comfortable and simple. She is also a very sociable and fun woman who really loves to chat. She was vegan for a number of years, but that has all changed now that she and her husband responsibly harvest fish from the ocean themselves. Besides regular fishing, Barbara and her husband often go out with people to fish plastic. In this way, they try to keep the sea as clean as possible and make people even more alert about cleaning up their waste. It is nice to see how conscious and sustainable they are.

Actually, we were supposed to attend an oyster workshop here, but as Melissa and I both don't eat oysters, Barbara transforms the whole programme without batting an eyelid. Seaweed it is and actually she only likes that. After all, Barbara is very creative in the kitchen.

First we go out together to harvest seaweed, just at the pier. Barbara explains that you cannot just pick seaweed anywhere for consumption. In fact, it is important to choose places where there is not too much oil in the water. Practice makes perfect.

With two full baskets, we walk back to restaurant ´t Ailand to work in the kitchen. We mainly picked bladder wrack, which Barbara will later make into a topping for salads. With love, she grabs an earlier batch to let us taste and believe me, it tastes delicious!

Adding seaweed to your meal is a very easy way to get extra vitamins and minerals. It is packed with vitamin B1, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, iodine, proteins, amino acids and healthy fats. It is also hugely environmentally friendly. Indeed, seaweed pollutes the environment much less than, say, the meat industry, it purifies the sea and it grows in abundance. Especially for vegetarians and vegans, it is also a great food to supplement deficiencies.

We are presented with various kinds of seaweed, including fresh nori and samphire, and together we get to work. We make two kinds of herb butters, a seaweed pesto and a variant of baba ganoush. All delicious recipes to prepare with seaweed. Barbara puts a seaweed bread in the oven (bread with pieces of seaweed inside) and several vegetables with spread go on the bbq. This promises to be a delicious lunch.

I never thought seaweed was so versatile, I really enjoyed it! This workshop is highly recommended, even though I have seen enough seaweed for the next month. The lunch was delicious and innovative, with seaweeds processed in different ways. Barbara is a real winner! Don't expect a slick interior and organised intention when you come here, but a real authentic fisherman's restaurant and owners with a big heart for the sea and its inhabitants. 't Ailand promises fish, shellfish and seaweed at its freshest and as sustainable as possible. With a beautiful message and an important mission.

I hope your love for seaweed has grown and that it tastes like more. If you want to follow a seaweed workshop at ´t Ailand yourself, take a look at their website for more information. And if you are curious about more adventures in Groningen? Melissa and I drove around the province for two days in an electric volkswagen van. You can find that route here.

Bon appetit,

Love,
Lotte