“You has to eat this, sir! … Right before you go into the lake, sir – Gillyweed! … It will make Harry Potter breathe underwater, sir!”
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
This recipe won’t help you grow gills or webbing between your fingers and toes, or let you breathe underwater. However, this incredibly healthy dish is full of vitamins. And don’t let the sliminess put you off. It’s actually a delicious dish using a Japanese-inspired dressing.
But first, why seaweed or sea vegetables? Gillyweed is supposed to help the user process oxygen from water, and while seaweed won’t allow a human to breathe underwater water, marine plants produce 70 to 80% of the oxygen in the atmosphere (according to ecology.com).
This ‘gillyweed’ I purchased from iHerb. It’s a combination of sea vegetables– blue and red seaweed, fusiform, asserting, filtered, kelp and Montagne. However, you can go to many grocery stores and purchase wakame or nori seaweed in the sushi ingredient section.
Gillyweed [seaweed salad] | Harry Potter
Description
Ever wondered what Gillyweed might taste like? Try this Japanese-inspired seaweed salad to serve at your next Harry Potter party or to enjoy as a side dish for your next Japanese inspired meal.
Ingredients
Packet of mixed sea vegetables (purchased on iHerb)
spring onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
juice of one lemon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
2–3 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
Prepare your ‘gillyweed’by rinsing your seaweed several times (the package recommends 3-4 times) to remove the salt.
After rinsing, soak the seaweed for about 10 minutes, then drain.
To make your dressing, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, ground ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce.
Toss the finely chopped spring onions onto the seaweed, and pour the dressing over the seaweed.
Notes
Gillyweed doesn’t need to just be a salad! Try seaweed as a dried snack or add it to soup.