Cooking with Cochayuyo – Chilean Seaweed
Chilean Seaweed “Cochayuyo” is a type of bull kelp, and the dominant seaweed species in Southern Chile.
Companies like Quelp are turning the seaweed into something bigger, an alternative for carnivores to get their fill from a plant-based burger. We haven’t tried the seaweed version of the Impossible Burger, but the Hotel Alaia serves up a fantastic mini empanada “empanadita” filled with a graceful mix of the seaweed and other vegetables and spices.
What’s so great about this seaweed vs. other seaweed?
Most kelp has a bulb with long thin leaves extending from it. However, in the middle of cochayuyo there is an incredibly tough honeycomb structure. This means it can survive even the strongest of waves and makes it super buoyant. On land, it would take 1,000 kg of force per cm to break.
It’s official species name is “durvillaea antarctica”, and it’s only found in Southern Chile and New Zealand. So, this species is different than what you’ll find in Monteray Bay.
Nutritionally, it’s very low in calories, but comparatively extremely high in protein, b-vitamins, magnesium, iron, and fiber – which is like a vegetarian wet dream. And while our minds are in the gutter, the expression “to soak the cochoyuyu” is used in Chilean Spanish to mean sexual intercourse. Why? Because you always have to re-hydrate cochoyuyo in order to cook with it.
So, how does it taste? It’s honestly quite tasteless, leaving you many options for preparations and flavor additions. When cooked cochayuyo has the texture of an al dente noodle, with a chew like squid.