Cooking with Marine Phytoplankton

Found in both fresh and salt water environments, Marine Phytoplankton consists of microscopic sea vegetable organisms. Phytoplankton naturally live in all oceans, providing much of earth’s oxygen and responsible for consuming carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Essentially the “building blocks” for marine life, these tiny organisms provide a new and exciting flavor profile in the culinary world. We receive our Marine Phytoplankton from the famous Veta la Palma aquaculture, known for their sustainable and environmental initiatives. Their Marine Phytoplankton provides a natural filtration for their farm while also creating a delicious culinary product for chefs and home cooks.

Championed in culinary circles by acclaimed Chef Angel Leon of Spain’s Aponiente Restaurant, he uses this sea vegetable to enhance dishes with the flavor of the ocean. From an accompaniment for oysters and sardines to a dairy replacement for risotto, this sea vegetable freshly pairs with any seafood or adds a vegetarian-friendly seafood flavor.

You can also find our Veta la Palma Marine Plankton in Daniel Boulud's stunning Vanderbilt oysters, finished with homemade hollandaise.

When preparing Marine Plankton, chefs love to create an “instant fumet” by mixing it with water or transforming it into broth. With that said, make sure to heat slowly. Otherwise, the Marine Phytoplankton will lose desired characteristics. Heat also leads to undesired texture due the high protein density (plankton has 30 times more omega 3s than olive oil). For preparing a slow cooking dish, such as risotto, we recommend adding Marine Plankton mixture once the main dish has been removed from the heat.

Phytoplankton comes freeze dried (lyophilized), meaning the product remains preserved and packaged without compromising the quality, flavor, cell structure, or nutritional components. Available in 15 gram tins (dried weight), you will find this product as fresh as the ocean.

Try this simple recipe, courtesy of James Beard Award Winning Chef Dan Barber:

SIMPLE PHYTOPLANKTON MAYONNAISE

Chef Dan Barber, Blue Hill at Stone Barns

Ingredients

2 whole eggs

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp Phytoplankton

1 cup grape seed oil

Blend the eggs, lemon juice, salt and plankton on high speed in a vitamix. Reduce the speed of the blender and slowly emulsify oil.