Forbes Wild Foods is a Toronto company that works with a network of trained foragers and harvesters across Canada to bring wild foods to kitchens and shops. This royal kombu, a brown seaweed also called sugar kelp, is sustainably harvested and naturally dried in Nova Scotia. It has a briny, sweetly fruity flavour, and a white powder on the blades is a savoury residue, not mould.
Royal kombu is the backbone of dashi: steep about an ounce in four cups of cool water, bring it just to a simmer, then lift it out. Add bonito flakes for a classic broth, or leave them out for a vegan version. Used kombu keeps a few days in the fridge and can be shredded into soups and salads, or wrapped around fish before steaming.
