Goal 14 - Life below water
There is a lot of pollution in our seas. In the Pacific Ocean, there is an entire continent-sized patch of plastic waste. There are also lots of plastics in the Baltic Sea. There are fewer and fewer fish. The seas are struggling. We humans must get a handle on things! It is time to learn how we can preserve and use our seas and marine resources in ways that do not cause the seas even more harm.
Some researchers have begun to cultivate algae in the seas – like farming, but in the sea. Algae can be used in food or transformed into batteries, biogas or perhaps a biodegradable plastic. It may become a fantastic resource.
The challenge – Algae for dinner? Give it a try, it's delicious!
Some of our marine resources are salt, fish and algae. If you add salt to fresh fish osmosis occurs. There is water and salt inside the cells of the fish. Outside there is also water and salt, but the amount of salt is much greater than inside the cells. To equalize the salinity, the cells release water. The cell strives to achieve the same salinity both outside and inside the cell. The result is a fish that becomes salted or cured, depending on how much salt and sugar you have in the recipe.
Try eating algae, too! Dried seaweed salad, seagrass noodles, and sheets of nori seaweed can be found on the Asian products shelf at the grocery store. There are plenty of recipes for cooking using the resources of the sea.
Here are a few of Tom Tit’s favourites!
Salted salmon
- 800 g fresh salmon fillet, in one large piece (with the skin)
- 1 ½ dl salt
- ¾ dl granulated sugar
Mix the salt and sugar and rub the two sides of the salmon with the mixture. Place the salmon in a tray with the skinless side down. Cover the salmon and leave it in the refrigerator for 2–3 days. Remove the salmon from the tray and use a sharp knife to cut it into thin slices.
Seaweed-sesame salt
- 1 sheet of nori seaweed
- 2 tsp flake salt
- 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
In a dry, hot frying pan, quickly toast the sheet of nori for a few seconds on each side. Mix the flake salt and roasted sesame seeds in a bowl. Crumble the sheet of nori into the bowl and mix. Serve sprinkled on top of oven-roasted vegetables.
Seaweed salad
Soak 1 bag of seaweed salad, following the instructions on the package. Allow the seaweed to drain on paper towels. Then put it in a bowl. Mix with 1 tablespoon sesame oil, ½ tsp chili flakes and 2 tsp Japanese soy sauce.
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