Homemade Roasted & Dried Seaweed Snacks
Making homemade roasted seaweed snacks (gim-gui, 김구이) is easier than you think! It’s also so much healthier, and cheaper than packaged store-bought seaweed snacks. My recipe takes just 25 minutes. For best results, it’s important to use the proper ingredients, including raw dried seaweed sheets (parae gim).
My kids eat these homemade roasted seaweed (gim-gui, 김구이) like a snack. Dried seaweed snacks are slightly salty, crisp, and delicious – quite addictive.
Korean roasted seaweed became a trendy snack in the U.S and other parts of the world. You can buy them easily in a bulk in the stores like Costco or even local grocery stores. People became more aware of high nutrition value of seaweed.
Are seaweed snacks healthy?
Is seaweed healthy? – obviously, yes!
That means roasted seaweed snacks also offer the same great nutrition value providing vitamins and minerals. You also get iodine, iron, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, plus high in fiber.
However, unlike plain roasted seaweed, the factory made dried seaweed snack at the store is covered with oil and salt. Oil can go rancid over the time. Depending on the brand, you will need to watch out for sodium and fat content in the snack and shouldn’t be eating too much of them at once.
I urge you to try making homemade dried seaweed snack. It tastes 10 times better and healthier than the store bought since you can control the amount of salt and oil as you like. And making homemade is easier than you think.
So here, I suggest you to try this homemade seaweed snack recipe. This is a beginner level of any seaweed recipes and so easy. You can make as much as you want and store them in the freezer.
If you love seaweed, you can challenge making the popular kimbap or Korean snack recipe like Gimmari for an easy and delicious seaweed finger food.
Or try healthy seaweed egg drop soup recipe for a quick and easy breakfast idea.
What is the best type of seaweed for roasting?
If you want a thin and crisp seaweed snack, look for Korean raw dried seaweed sheets called Parae-gim (파래김) or Dol-gim (돌김). They are different types of seaweed than the sushi nori seaweed.
Although you can also use the raw unseasoned sushi nori for this, but the texture of sushi nori is much heavier.
- Dol-gim (돌김) is a dried red algae laver and it is a good candidate for making roasted seaweed snack. It has very rough and coarse texture.
- Parae-gim (파래김) uses mix of both red and green algae, and most commonly used for making roasted seaweed snack. Both the seaweeds are original to Korea and far different than the Japanese dried seaweed.
Check out my Korean pantry page to learn more about types of seaweed.
How to pick good seaweed
When you purchase parae-gim, dol-gim, or any type of seaweed, make sure to check the following:
- Expiration date: You don’t want old, expired, rancid seaweed.
- Smell the seaweed if you can. If it smells slightly moldy and unpleasant, avoid it.
- If the package is sealed and won’t let you smell, then check the color of the seaweed. Fresh, dried seaweed should be almost black with a hint of very subtle brownness.
- Avoid the seaweed showing a purple tint throughout. It is old and rancid.
How do you make roasted seaweed at home
You will need:
- 30 sheets of plain raw dried seaweed (parae-gim) or dol-gim
- 1 tablespoon of sesame oil + 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil (or use 2 tbsp of olive oil)
- fine sea salt or kosher salt
- a disposable plastic glove
Since sesame oil has low smoking point, it is a good idea to mix with other non-fragrant oil to increase heat resistance. You can use perilla oil (deul-girum, 들기름) instead of sesame oil.
If you are not fond of fragrance of sesame oil, use olive oil to replace both oils.
Step 1. Combine oils with 1:1 ratio.
Step 2. The easiest and fastest way to grease the entire seaweed sheets is using a disposable food prep glove. (Of course you can use your bare hand if you don’t mind it becoming very greasy).
- I roasted 30 sheets of seaweed and used about 1 tablespoon of each sesame oil and grape seed oil.
Wear disposable plastic glove on one hand. Dab a little bit of oil with one finger (with glove on) and rub it with other fingers to spread all over on your hand.
Step 3. Gently rub on the seaweed sheet with your oiled hand to spread a very thin coat of oil. You don’t want too much oil on the seaweed. (Apply the oil to only one side of the seaweed, not to both sides)
Step 4. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the oiled seaweed. The amount of salt is up to you. Repeat the layers and continue on the seaweed as you stack them until all of the seaweed sheets are oiled and sprinkled with salt.
Step 5. Heat the skillet over medium heat until hot. I used a pancake griddle
Step 6. Using kitchen tongs, pick up 2 sheets of seaweed at a time and lay them on the hot skillet. Within a second, it will shrink and toast the surface. The color of the seaweed will turn slightly green. Flip to the other side and continue to toast. It should only take between 3- 5 seconds on each side. Adjust the heat level accordingly if the seaweed toasts too fast or too slow.
Here is the homemade roasted seaweed – perfectly roasted and seasoned! The sesame oil adds just right amount of fragrance that I like and adds a nice sheen to the seaweed.
How to eat roasted seaweed snack
Thin, crisp, and a hint of saltiness, they are good to munch as is for a snack or makes a good accompaniment to beer – the Korean way!
Try it to wrap the rice.
As a child, I always grabbed my rice with a piece of roasted seaweed. I refused to eat rice without them. Often, rice wrapped in the roasted seaweed and kimchi is all you need for a quick bite.
So how do you think? Do you want to try roast your own seaweed snack? I finished 30 sheets of seaweed in less than 20 minutes, I think.
How long does roasted seaweed last
To store these homemade roasted seaweed pieces, put them in an airtight container or zip bags. They can last fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days, or 2-3 months in a freezer. Make sure they are completely air-tight. Do not store them in the fridge, though. They will get soggy if you do.
Seaweed storage tip
Most roasting seaweed is sold in 100 sheets in a package. If you are not planning to roast them all at once, store the leftover seaweed in the freezer. Seaweed can go rancid quite fast, especially in a warm climate. By storing them in a freezer, you can enjoy fresh seaweed throughout the year!
More Seaweed Recipes
- Kimbap (Korean Seaweed Rice Roll)
- Korean Fried Seaweed Rolls (Gimmari)
- Korean Cold Seaweed Cucumber Soup
- Kimchi Tuna Onigiri & Kimchi Seaweed Rice Balls
Homemade Roasted & Dried Seaweed Snacks
Ingredients
- 30 unseasoned raw dried seaweed sheets , (parae gim)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil, see note below
- 1 tbsp non-fragrant cooking oil, see note below
- kosher salt or fine sea salt
Instructions
- Combine sesame oil and cooking oil in a small mixing bowl.
- Wear disposable plastic glove on one hand. Dab a little bit of oil with one finger (with glove on) and rub it with other fingers to spread all over on your hand.
- Gently rub on the seaweed sheet with your oiled hand to spread a very thin coat of oil. You don't want too much oil on the seaweed. (Apply the oil to only one side of the seaweed, not to both sides)
- Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the oiled seaweed. The amount of salt is up to you. Repeat the layers and continue on the seaweed as you stack them until all of the seaweed sheets are oiled and sprinkled with salt.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat until hot. Using kitchen tongs, pick up 2 sheets of seaweed at a time and lay them on the hot skillet. Within a second, it will shrink and toast the surface. The color of the seaweed will turn slightly green. Flip to the other side and continue to toast. It should only take between 3- 5 seconds on each side. Adjust the heat level accordingly if the seaweed toasts too fast or too slow.
- To store, put them in an airtight container or zip bags. They can last fresh at room temperature for 2-3 days, or 2-3 months in a freezer. Make sure they are completely air-tight. Do not store them in the fridge. They will get soggy if you do.
whoah this blog is magnificent i love reading your posts. Keep up the great work! You know, many people are looking around for this info, you could help them greatly.
I’m so glad I found this post! We had plain nori in the cupboard and weren’t using it very quickly. I followed your recipe (used a skillet) and it came out so great! I love these snacks but hate buying the little packets at the store — s0 much packaging waste! I’ll plan to freeze most of mine. Maybe a silly question: when I’m ready to eat it, would I just thaw it on the counter or is it basically ready to eat right out of the freezer?
Hi Maggie
You can eat it right out of the freezer. It will be slightly cold but still delicious. I am glad that you found my post to use up your nori. Thanks for your comment.
If tge roasted seaweed smells rancid, can still be eaten? Can re heat them again?
Very cool! Why is homemade roasted seaweed healthier than store-bought?
Because the oil can get rancid in the package.
I didn’t know they can be done at home! So cool!
I love roasted seaweeds!! I didn’t know you can make this at home
Yes, you can definitely make them at home. Much better in taste and healthier, too.
Never had roasted seaweed. Never even thought of roasting seaweed! But it’s sounds like a fun — and delish! — idea. Great post — thanks.
You should try out. It is really good and can be addictive!