By Aishling Moore Irishexaminer.com
This time of the year you鈥檒l find rock and marsh samphire, sea kale, sea spinach and smaller sea plants like purslane.
There are hundreds of varieties of seaweeds native to Ireland, pepper dulse being my most favourite. Also known as sea truffle, with wonderful black garlic undertones, it鈥檚 a smaller sized seaweed but deeply savoury.
Anthony Irwin and Angela Healy are growing two fabulous varieties of Irish seaweed in the pristine waters off the Mullet Peninsula in North west county Mayo.
At their ocean farm, Dulra, they are cultivating winged kelp and sugar kelp seaweeds.
Rope-grown with locally sourced seeds, this form of aquaculture is regenerative creating safe nursery grounds for young fish and crustaceans, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as providing a nutritious food source.
Seaweed is an important ingredient in my store cupboard, delivering deep umami and meaty flavours to so many dishes.
It鈥檚 a fantastic substitute for salt and makes a brilliant seasoning for spuds, vegetables and breads.
For this weekend鈥檚 recipe, I鈥檝e used some sugar kelp seaweed to flavour a brown scone mix. You can, of course, use any dried seaweed you can get your hands on.
Most varieties are available dried and powdered or flaked, which makes it an easy addition to any bake. Look for dilisk, nori and kelp.
Not just for afternoon tea, a savoury scone is the perfect accompaniment to a summer salad, seafood soup, smoked fish or p芒t茅s.
There is nothing more satisfying than the waft of baked goods filling your kitchen.
Chilled butter for the scone mixture is vital to achieve a tender-textured scone.
I love using wholemeal flour in scones for a more complex flavour, but you could just use plain flour.
It鈥檚 important not to over work the dough and handle as little as possible to avoid developing the gluten in the flour.
It鈥檚 always great to freeze half a dozen or so of the uncooked scones, which can be baked from frozen.
For best results making the herb butter, use a stand mixer with the butter at room temperature.
You鈥檒l find a great selection of native Irish seaweeds in most health food stores.