Pinoy Seaweed Salad

“My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea,

and the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.” 

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This salad is made of seaweeds commonly found in the Philippines - "lato" and "guso". I like the combination of the two, lato or sea grapes give a mouth-popping sensation while the guso or eucheuma gives the salad a good crunch. Mangoes make the salad more enjoyable to eat, fresh and sweet. The addition of calamansi in the dressing removes the "lansa" of the seaweeds. And the shallot gives a nice spice on the salad. I will definitely try this again. Honestly, I can taste the sea through this wonderful healthy salad.

The "lato" in the picture are the bigger variety of lato.

INGREDIENTS:

150 grams lato or sea grapes 

150 grams guso or eucheuma

1 medium size ripe mango, diced

1 medium size nearly ripe mango (manibalang), diced

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 shallot, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp white vinegar

3 calamansi, squeezed and seeds removed

1/2 to 1 Tbsp sugar

salt or fish sauce (I used salt)

pepper

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash thoroughly the seaweeds (lato and guso). Soaked it first in a bowl for a couple of minutes. Put it in a colander and rinse it with running water.

2. Transfer the guso in another bowl. Pour boiling water over it. Let it soak for 2 minutes then take it out.

3. To make the dressing, combine vinegar, calamansi juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir until sugar and salt dissolved.

4. Put the seaweeds in a bowl, add the mangoes, tomatoes, and shallots. 

5. Pour the dressing and gently mix it.

6. Serve it with fried or grilled fish, pork, or chicken. 

QUICK TIP:

1. Put the dressing before serving. The seaweeds will wilt when you soak it with acidic dressing for too long.

2. Put a little salt or fish sauce in your dressing since the seaweeds are already salty. 

3. You may also try using shrimp paste (alamang) or anchovy sauce (bagoong) as your dressing.

4. Add chopped chilies or chili flakes for an added kick. 

Happy day always,

Rhea