Winged kelp | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

Illustration couleur d'une alarie succulente.

Large, dark green or brown seaweed.

Long, single frond divided by a thick midrib.

Very thin and fragile frond that can reach 50 cm in width. It has a smooth edge.

Short stipe that ends in a holdfast used to cling to the substrate.

Its fertile parts are found on small, flattened blades attached symmetrically on both sides of the stipe, beneath the frond.

Name

Winged kelp
Alaria esculenta

Type

Brown algae

Other names

Atlantic wakame, badderlocks

Kitchen name

Wakame

Resource status

Not a cause for concern

Consumption season

Processed year-round; generally as a dried product.

SIZE:

2.5 to 5 m long.

LIFE EXPECTANCY:

4 to 7 years.

LIFE CYCLE:

Sexual maturity is reached in the first year of life.

Winged kelp is a fast-growing seaweed. It can grow up to 20 cm per month.

In spring, its fertile blades, called sporophylls, develop on the stipe below the frond.

Reproduction takes place from April to autumn along the North Shore. In the Gaspé Peninsula, warmer water degrades the fronds, stopping reproduction in June. The sporophylls expel spores that attach to the seabed. This next generation develops close to their mother plants.

Photograph of winged kelp lying on rocks in the water.

Winged kelp settles in groups. A very long alga, it often lies on the substrate.
Credit: Richard Larocque, taken in Pointe-au-Père.

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Coastal zone, below the low tide line.

The winged kelp prefers dynamic environments exposed to waves, such as rocky headlands or capes. It is often the first seaweed species to settle on bare substrates.

It favours cold water and will die in water above 16 °C.

Inseparable

Winged kelp will cling to rocks so tightly that sometimes the rock will break, rather than this macroalga.

PREYS:

CO2
Solar energy

PREDATORS:

Urchins
Herbivorous molluscs
Grazing fish

MACHINES:

Hand harvesting.

REGULATIONS:

The same area can only be harvested once a year. Only every second frond is harvested in order to preserve the resource. Cutting the frond 30 to 40 cm above the junction with the stipe will allow wakame to regenerate.

Photograph of algae-filled spinneret lifted aboard a boat.

Winged kelp is one of the seaweeds cultivated in the Gaspé region by the Mi’gmaq Wolastoqey Indigenous Fisheries Management Association (MWIFMA).
Credit: Exploramer, photo taken in 2021.

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Winged kelp is a Smarter seafood-listed species.

BENEFITS:

The winged kelp is rich in iodine, calcium, iron and magnesium, as well as vitamins A and B. It is also a good source of fibre and protein.

LET’S COOK:

Its mild marine taste makes it perfect for enhancing the taste of smoothies, cocktails and desserts.

Mild vegetal flavour with a hint of hazelnut. It goes well with fish, seafood and soups.

The whole plant is edible. However, the texture varies between its crunchy, firm midrib and its rather tender leaf.

Its fine frond makes it a particularly popular sea vegetable.

The waters of the St. Lawrence are known for their good quality. However, as algae absorb the elements present in the water to grow, it is preferable to ensure that the harvesting site is clean before eating this species fresh.

Savvy consumers

In Nunavik, brown seaweed, such as the Atlantic wakame (called “kuanniq” in Inuktitut), is particularly popular. It is eaten fresh.

Species