Austin Sea Veggies

I’m a kama’aina from Honolulu, Hawaii and have lived in Austin for the past 22 years. Finding the Austin Sea Veggies booth at the Sunset Valley farmers market was an amazing discovery that took me back to my childhood in the islands where Ogo and Limu were abundant and used in a variety of real Hawaiian dishes. I used to only be able to eat Ahi-​Poke’ when I went back to Hawaii. It is found in every Foodland, Times Market and on a lot of restaurant menus in Hawaii. No party in Hawaii is without pupus of poke’. Now I make ono island-​style Ahi-​Poke’ every week with Ogo from Austin Sea Veggies. For me, it’s like going home! And by the way, you can get some really nice fresh Ahi Tuna at HEB # 8 on Congress Avenue at Oltorf. It comes in every Friday. You can also get Ahi at Whole Foods or Central Market but the quality isn’t as consistent as I found at HEB. Mahalo!

I tried out this seaweed because I heard from the grower that he was getting going on it. So, I impulsively decided to visit him at the Market one Saturday morning.
And I had no idea just how «getting going on it» my friend was. He was having a good time out there, chatting with folks about his aquatic product. I purchased a couple combo packs and vamoosed forthwith.
The first time I tried the weed, I didn’t rinse it, and I just snacked on it. It tasted a bit too salty, but that was also kind of interesting because it reminded me of being at the beach!
Later on, I found out he was selling via Wheatsville, so I purchased a package from there. What I like about the way he packages his stuff is this:
1) there is plenty of veggie goodness in there; I snack on it by myself and by itself, and it’s a very filling salad; you may want to use it as two or three portions for a more varied salad or soup
2) the packaging is made of bio-​plastic, so there’s no question of how to dispose of it; no matter what, it’s just going to break down out there in a not-​so-​bad way
My later snackings on the seaweed have been improved in my opinion because I’ve started lightly rinsing the product before tasting. With just a hint of saltiness, you can really appreciate the texture and inherent flavor of the plant. YUM!

A friend of mine really likes miso soup and sea weed salad, so I decided to adventure out and find some seaweed. Did you know they (Austin Sea Veggies) sells this stuff in stores? I know Daily Juice has them, and I heard Wheatsville too.
Honestly, the guy who sells this stuff is a genius. Like a modern day Renaissance man, this guy does it all. C’mon, he’s like a mad scientist farming at his small headquarters (which I hope he calls his lair) and bringing it fresh to all of us. Almost like a sea weed Jesus.
If you read his blog/​website (
) he sounds like a cool dude. Maybe one day we’ll cross paths, party and talk about science. Who knows? Its possible.

This business just popped up at the Sunset Valley Farmer’s Mkt (Saturdays) and I was excited to try the product. The owner says he decided to grow a variety of seaweeds after repeatedly hearing concerns over toxins in the wild oceans turning up in seaweeds. Wondering how his harvest would compare nutrient-​wise to the wild forage, he assured me he is using nutrient rich, unprocessed sea salts to salinate the water with. It’s my opinion that the fact you can now get fresh and texturally exciting sea vegetables grown locally makes up for any difference in that department (if there were a difference). Having worked for a Japanese chef for over a year, I was surprised to find the freshness of Ogonori seaweed so amazing! It is DELICIOUS, crunchy, and, well, fresh. I’ve tried it on a pastrami sandwich so far. I found the taste too salty for eating raw, but this was easily remedied by giving it a light rinse first. I’m looking forward to using the fresh sea lettuce with quinoa dishes, and adding it to salads and soups. Also, this is the only business at the farmer’s market that actually has seating in the stall for people to take a break and chat with the owner. He’s a friendly and smart guy and I highly recommend you try his fresh sea veggies! They are really good.