What Is Nori?

If you enjoy sushi, you are probably already somewhat familiar with nori as an ingredient. Nori is the wrapper that holds everything in your delicious sushi roll together. The Japanese translation for nori is "ocean moss."

Nori is a type of edible seaweed used in various food products and recipes. It is a dark green seaweed traditionally produced in the coastal parts of Japan and has been harvested from the ocean for centuries. You may find nori used in salads, sushi, soups, rice bowls, and other small bites.

Seaweed has soared in popularity in recent years. Sales in the U.S. ticked upward as the ingredient has become more widely recognized for its nutritional benefits; it’s full of vitamin C, iodine, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, selenium, and zinc. That's quite a lineup.

The drying of nori for culinary purposes has been a commonplace practice in Japan for centuries. While nori is commonly used in a seaweed paste, the product U.S. consumers are most familiar with are dried nori sheets.

What Is Nori?

Nori is a dried edible seaweed used in Japanese cuisine. It is made from a species of the red algae genus. 

Nori was originally eaten as a wet ingredient in food preparation. As it became more widely used in food preparation, there became a need to preserve the nori for longer amounts of time and it was dried in the sun to create the thin, paper-like sheets we know today.

Most varieties of Japanese nori are farm-raised in the cold sea, in the regions of Kyushu, the Seto Inland Sea, Tokai, Chiba, and Miyagi. Farmers plant the seeds into nets at the end of the summer season in order to harvest from autumn to spring.

Sheets of nori are commonly used in the preparation of sushi rolls and onigiri. The seaweed is used to tightly wrap sushi rice and other ingredients for these popular foods which can be ordered at restaurants or made at home.

There are different types of seaweed used in Japanese cuisine, but nori is probably the most recognized when referring to the ocean greens known as the "soybean of the sea" and "vegetable of the sea" in Japan.

Nori comes from pyropia, which is a type of red algae. Freshly harvested nori is actually reddish brown in appearance and dries to a dark green color.

What Does Nori Taste Like?

Looking for a snack that is sweet or salty? Nori is both!

When nori is harvested from the sea, it has a flavor profile that is both sweet and salty in taste. This intense umami flavor comes from the inosinic acid, glutamic acid, and guanylic acid present in the aquatic greens.

Some nori is packaged on its own as a single ingredient and has a mild presence when used in recipes and food preparations. Many pre-packaged nori options are available with additional ingredients like soy sauce and other seasonings. The added seasoning can lend a toasted or spicy flavor to nori, making it a versatile ingredient perfecr for lending a depth of flavor to recipes.

Is Nori Good for You?

Nori is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin B2, and Vitamin C, as well as a valuable source of potassium and iron, and has been a staple ingredient in Asian diets for thousands of years. It has become a sought after ingredient with consumers looking to add both savory flavor and nutritional benefits to their cooking. Various forms of nori can be found in specialty markets, as well as many supermarkets.

Nori is widely enjoyed for its taste and the health benefits it provides. The vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers make it a great choice for a plant-based menu.

This superfood of the sea contains iodine which helps to maintain thyroid health. It also has vitamin C which aids in providing a boost to the immune system. Nori is also high in protein content which helps to maintain muscles and productive energy levels.

Nori works especially well as an ingredient for adding a depth of flavor to vegan dishes. You can make a vegan-friendly onigiri mixed with a combination of tofu and cool cucumber, or use nori as a seasoning in a pulverized flake form to sprinkle on top of rice. Nori can also be added to dishes for a note of seafood taste without using fish.

How to Use Nori

Nori sheets are highly absorbent which makes them a great addition to soups, stews, and stocks. However, this also means they can absorb moisture from the surrounding air and quickly start to break down and degrade in structure. Nori should be stored with some sort of desiccant to keep it as dry as possible. The most commonly available forms of nori include: 

Nori Sheets

The most common type of nori available for purchase are nori sheets. These are easy to cut for use in recipes for making sushi rolls and onigiri rice balls.

Nori Strips

These thinly cut strips are pre-sliced into thin ribbons and are usually used as toppings for salads, pasta, or as decorative seasoning touch on servings of noodles and donburi.

Nori In Plastic Film

This form of nori is made up of small sheets packaged in a plastic film and used for wrapping sushi rolls and onigiri.

Nori can be purchased toasted or raw; toasted nori is more common and already dried and ready to use. Nori can be prepared before cooking by soaking it in water for about 20 minutes. It then needs to be squeezed to get rid of excess moisture. This step makes it more pliable and easier to work with for cooking. Nori should be softened in this way before it is cooked to prevent the seaweed from sticking to the pan when stir-frying or frying.

Where to Buy Nori

You can find nori in a variety of forms in the international aisle of grocery stores, at specialty markets, and online. When shopping, you may also find other types of seaweed products to explore, like dulse and wakame.

Some stores display nori sheets in the snack aisles with dried fruits and vegetable products, the natural food section, and aisles with gluten-free offerings.

Consumers should look for varieties labeled as nori, wakame, kombu, kelp, sea lettuce, and dulse. The packages will contain the product in sheets, strips, and even noodles.