This simple, yet flavorful recipe for dulse butter is the perfect way to bring a touch of the coast to your special occasions (or a way to make every day special).
Made with just three simple ingredients, this homemade seaweed butter pairs perfectly with a variety of seafood dishes, and tastes amazing on a perfectly cooked steak. One thing is certain - it's sure to be a crowd favorite!
I have spent most of my life living on the Maritime coast (Nova Scotia, to be exact) and dulse is very much a part of our cultural identity.
Bags of dried seaweed fill baskets in even large grocery stores, and are offered at just about every gift shop or farmer's market from one end of the province to the other.
While it's most often consumed as a salty snack, dulse is also a delicious addition to a variety of simple dishes, and makes a particularly savory compound butter.
This dulse butter recipe (or seaweed butter) is perfect for adding a touch of umami flavor to your favorite dishes, and it's a great way to make use of a coastal favorite. Add it to steak, baked potatoes, Lobster, (and more), or freeze it for later use.
If you can't find dulse, you can easily swap it for another dried seaweed (like nori).
What is Dulse?
Dulse is a type of seaweed that grows in the Northeastern waters of the Atlantic Ocean. It's deep burgundy in color, and can be found washed up on beaches all along the Northeastern coast of the US and Canada, as well as coastal areas of Europe on the other side of the Atlantic sea (from Portugal up to Northern Ireland, and found as far as Norway and Iceland).
While dulse also grows in the North Pacific, Atlantic grown dulse is more prolific and popular. It is particularly abundant on the North coast of Ireland on the European side, and in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Maine on the North American side.
This sea vegetable is enjoyed often as a snack, but also can be included as an ingredient in soups, salads, sandwiches, and more. It's salty, with a slightly leathery texture, and a beautiful hue. It can be consumed fresh, though it is most often dried first.
Ingredients
- Butter: Since seaweed has a natural saltiness, I recommend using unsalted butter. Add salt to your taste if you find it needs a little extra. but store-bought is totally fine.
- Seaweed: For this recipe I recommend dulse, but if you can't find dulse you could use nori or your favorite edible seaweed.
- Lemon juice: A little splash of lemon juice adds a nice acidity, but can be skipped if you prefer.
Check the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and the quantities needed.
How to Make Seaweed Butter
- Add the softened butter to large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until whipped and creamy. Add the lemon juice, then beat again until incorporated.
- Add the dulse and mix until combined. Taste and add salt (if needed).
- Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to form the butter into a solid mass.
Top Tip: You can use your hands to crumble the seaweed if it is very dry, but you could also use dulse flakes (or nori flakes) - OR use a food processor to get the perfect consistency.
- Cut a sheet of parchment to size, and crinkle it with your hand to keep it flat. Place the butter in the bottom third, forming it into a log shape.
Note: You can use plastic wrap to do the same thing, and it's a bit easier to use.
- Roll the butter up in the parchment paper and twist the ends to seal.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill until firm (about 3 hours).
- To serve your seaweed compound butter, slice into rounds once firm. Either use immediately, or re-wrap and keep refrigerated until needed.
Ways to Use Dulse Butter
While seaweed butter tends to better complement seafood dishes, there are a variety of ways to use it. The best way is to experiment, adding it to dishes with a more savory flavor to see what you like.
- On top of a perfectly cooked steak
- Nestled into a split lobster tail
- With baked potatoes
- Shrimp
- Scallops
- In chowders and soups
- Spread on crostini
- Served with sauteed mushrooms (AKA umami mushrooms)
Storage and Freezing
- Add your tightly wrapped compound butter to an airtight container.
- Store in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. Discard if there are any signs of spoilage.
- Seaweed butter can be frozen for extended storage. Wrap it tightly, then place it in a labeled freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw before using.
- For the best results, slice into rounds before freezing.
How to Make Nori Butter
If you can't find dulse in your region, you can always swap it out for another available seaweed like nori. Nori is widely available, and is one of the most flavorful seaweed butter recipes.
Use 3 tablespoons of crumbled nori for every ½ cup of butter.
Expert Tips
- Butter consistency. Be sure to use well softened butter. It should be soft enough that you can easily indent it with your finger when pressed, but not so soft that it melts. In fact, melted butter should not be used at all for compound butter. Once it is melted, the consistency changes completely and it will not set properly once chilled.
- Salt to taste. Because seaweed is naturally salty, it's important to taste and adjust for salt as needed. Sometimes the umami flavor of dulse (thanks to naturally occuring glutamic acid) reduces the need for saltiness, since the flavor is quite pleasing to the palate as is.
- Use dried seaweed. Even if you forage your own dulse, make sure it is dry before making dulse butter. Any additional moisture will cause the butter to spoil quickly, so be sure to dry it on racks or in the dehydrator before use.
If you loved this recipe for seaweed butter, let me know by leaving a 5-star review in the recipe card, OR tag me on Instagram @maritimecountrykitchen!
Dulse Butter (Seaweed Butter)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (113 grams)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
- 3 tablespoons crumbled dulse or seaweed of your choice
- Salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Add the softened butter to a medium-sized bowl.
- Mix well with an electric mixer, or by hand using a silicone spatula.
- Once the butter is smooth and whipped, add the lemon juice and mix again.
- Add the crushed dulse (or seaweed of choice) to the butter, and mix again until well distributed.
- Taste and adjust salt to your preference.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat surface, and bring the butter into one solid mass.
- Drop the butter onto the sheet of parchment paper, and use clean hands to pat it into a log shape.
- Use the parchment to roll it into a tight log, and twist the ends of the paper to seal them.
- Place the butter in the fridge on a flat surface and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
- To serve, unroll and cut into slices. Serve with your favorite seafood dishes or as a topping for a delicious grilled steak, baked potatoes, or the dish of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition
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