This is a series of blogs unearthing the amazing stories of some of our most unappreciated wild foods living on the coast.

Wrack Syphon Weed // Vertebrata lanosa
This wiry looking seaweed holds some of the best nicknames in the business. The polite among you might enjoy it's traditional name of wrack syphon weed or the one alluding to its taste - sea truffle / truffle of the sea. But I MUCH prefer my friend and colleague Mark's choice of mermaid merkin!! I cannot quite remember how he discovered the hidden flavour of this seaweed but he is pretty much singlehandedly waving it's flag in the UK (it is unlikely that you will read about it in any foraging books). I have read that its culinary uses are rising in popularity in Norway and I am not surprised.
Having found it to be a great species to recognise and use as a learner, I feel it is only right to champion it now, too. And what better way to do that than give it my own name! Drum roll please! From this day on you will be known as... Sea muff!
Identification
It will come as no surprise to read that sea muff grows in thick, short, little bushes made up of fibrous, bristly fronds. Basically they look and feel like pubes.

You can find this species living on various types of wrack seaweed at the mid to high range of the tide. I have read conflicting information about it attaching occasionally directly onto the rocks so will be looking out for this. It is technically a red algae but looks reddy brown, almost purple, with the ends of the fronds often lighter in colour.

As you can see in the photo above the fronds and branches are all very thin and wide where they fork and if you look closely they end in pincer shaped tips. It is known as an epiphyte to its host seaweed (usually Ascophyllum nodosum - egg wrack) although it has the structure to be parasitic. Interestingly it also plays host to a parasite red algae called Choreocolax polysiphoniae.

Uses
I only know of it's particular use in the kitchen but it will, like most seaweeds, grace many gardens in the form of mulch I am sure!
I am really hoping I haven't put you off trying sea muff as the flavour is deep, umami and minerally. So far the best way I know how to use it is as a flavour enhancer that you can put on anything you fancy. It works well with eggs, potatoes, fish. You can put it through butter, into stocks, soups and stews, and use it in bread and oatcakes.

Processing
Yes, the pubic hair-like texture is a little off-putting!! Do yourself a favour by drying it completely (either in a warm, airy spot in your house or with a dehydrator) and blitz into a fine dust. The colour tends to change to black once dried and you'll have the most delicious, meaty, sprinkles to flavour anything you fancy!

I have also heard of chefs cooking it low and slow like you would laver, before turning it into an emulsion.
Benefits
Other than the general health benefits of seaweeds, I am unaware of any specific to vertebrata lanosa.
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