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RECIPE: Seasoned Crispy Rice and Nori Chips
- Yield: Serves 2 to 4 1x
Description
This recipe uses nori (also sometimes called laver), a type of red algae. The algae grows and is farmed in the waters off of Japan, Korea, and China and can also be found and harvested in the North Atlantic Ocean. At least five different varieties of native nori grow along the coast of Maine. To make sheets of nori, the leaves are dried and then pressed into paper-thin squares. Nori is most often used in making sushi, but it can be used in other applications such as this recipe. It is naturally lightly salty, nutty, and umami flavored, and it is highly nutritious, containing iron, B vitamins, iodine, zinc, magnesium, and manganese. These chips — inspired by Korean-style seaweed chips, but with a few western elements like olive oil, smoky paprika and powdered garlic — make a flavorful and crispy starter or snack.
Ingredients
- 8 sheets (approximately 8-inch by 8-inch squares) of Nori seaweed
- 8 rounds (approximately 8 1/2 inches in diameter) of rice paper spring roll wrappers
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Have ready a large high-sided plate or pie dish filled with 1 cup hot water. Have ready 2 large cooling racks and a standard-sized baking sheet lined with paper-towels.
- Soak a piece of the rice paper in the water just until it starts to soften, about 20 seconds, and quickly place it over a sheet of seaweed, pressing down and pushing out any air bubbles until it smoothly adheres. Transfer to the cooling rack. Repeat this process with the remaining rice paper and seaweed sheets, folding in the corners of the seaweed to fit the rounds.
- Let the seaweed-rice sheets dry on the cooling racks until they are less sticky but not completely firm, about 1 to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, and set aside.
- Once the seaweed is ready, use kitchen shears to cut the sheets into approximately 2-inch squares.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the oil reaches 360℉.
- Fry a batch of the squares until they are crisp, about 10 to 20 seconds, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheet and immediately sprinkle the spice mixture over the top. Repeat with the remaining seaweed squares and spice mixture. If the oil starts to smoke or get too hot, reduce heat to low. Serve immediately.
