Gim (Korean Roasted Seaweed) | 김
Pronounced: Gim
What: Roasted seaweed that is seasoned and cut for the perfect side dish to accompany your meal or as a standalone snack. This recipe is best for someone who loves freshly roasted seaweed and would like a side dish that is much more friendly on the budget!
Taste: The taste you get from packaged roasted seaweed that can be bought at Costco, Korean, Grocery Stores, and Trader Joe’s, but better because we use a special seasoning and it’s fresh = more crispy, potent, and yummy!
How It’s Made: Super easy. Most important step is to buy good quality dried seaweed. Coat only one side in oil and seasoning salt. Roast on high heat. Cut and store in airtight container. Very simple and quick.
What to Serve it With:
Can be eaten as just a snack
Koreans usually eat this as a side to accompany their main dish. See below to see other dish recipes you can eat this it.
Pairs incredibly with rice and kimchi if you want to keep it simple.
Notes & Tips (Important!!):
Buy good quality dried, unseasoned seaweed at the Korean Grocery Store. In Korean, these types of seaweed are called Parae-gim (파래김) or Dol-Gim (돌김). This is a different type of seaweed that is not the same type of seaweed used in sushi.
Check the color. It should be a very dark green, almost black. It’s old if it has a purple, brown, or red undertone. Check the expiration date.
Typically, the best dried seaweed is located somewhere “special” / “distinct” in the Korean Grocery Market (e.g. at the front, near the cashiers is where we found ours for $14.99)! See picture below.
Also, freeze this leftover seaweed for future use.
We use Korean Seasoning Salt. It gives it a nice, umami flavor that brings it up a notch. If we don’t have that on hand, we opt for sea salt.
Store roasted seaweed in an airtight container, and immediately put the lid back on when opened.
This is to maintain the crispiness of the roasted seaweed. It deflates if you let it out in the open.
If you have a little packet of silica gel, pop that packet into the airtight container with your roasted seaweed.
It’ll maintain the freshness! These are often found in packaged roasted seaweed you find in stores.
This is the seaweed (Parae-gim) we bought at our local Korean Grocery Store, placed near the cashiers. It was $14.99 for a BIG pack! Seasonal, fresh items are typically placed somewhere distinct in Korean Grocery Stores.
Gim (Korean Roasted Seaweed) | 김
Ingredients:
- Dried, unseasoned Korean seaweed (called Parae-gim (파래김) or Dol-Gim (돌김)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- Korean seasoning salt* or pink salt
Instructions:
How to cook Gim (Korean Roasted Seaweed) | 김
- In a small bowl, whisk together the two oils. The sesame oil only adds a subtle taste that is not necessary if you do not have it on hand.
- Coat one side of seaweed with oil. Then lightly sprinkle with salt.
- Once all of your seaweed is coated with oil and salt, heat a large pan over medium-high to high heat. You want the pan to get hot, to the point where you see smoke coming out. Once you see smoke, roast seaweed.
- With tongs, place down a sheet of seaweed with the coated side facing the hot pan. It will instantly shrink as it roasts. The color will turn slightly green as well. After 3 seconds, flip and roast the other side. My Mom likes to move around the sheet and roast the corners at the center of the pan. This entire process should take about 10 seconds total per sheet. Adjust heat settings if it roasts too fast or too slow.
- Cut into squares, and store in an airtight container.*
Notes:
INSTRUCTIONS WITH Pictures
In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ neutral oil (e.g. olive oil, grapeseed, vegetable) and 1 Tbsp sesame oil. With a pastry brush, coat one side of the seaweed with oil. Then, lightly coat that same one side with Korean seasoning salt or sea salt. Repeat until your stack of seaweed are all coated.
If you do not have sesame oil, that is okay! It only gives a subtle sesame taste, so not absolutely necessary.
Once all of your seaweed is coated with oil and salt, heat a large pan over medium-high to high heat. You want the pan to get hot, to the point where you see smoke coming out. Once you see smoke, roast seaweed.
With tongs, place down a sheet of seaweed with the coated side facing the hot pan. It will instantly shrink as it roasts. The color will turn slightly green as well. After 3 seconds, flip and roast the other side. My Mom likes to move around the sheet and roast the corners at the center of the pan. This entire process should take about 10 seconds total per sheet.
Adjust heat settings if it roasts too fast or too slow.
Your final result should look like this (below). Cut into squares, and store in an airtight container.
TIP: If you have a silica gel (found in some packaged foods), place that in the airtight container with the roasted seaweed.
That’s it!
Enjoy this tasty, crispy roasted seaweed by pairing it with another dish! Here, I am eating it with my Mom’s Avocado & Tomatoes Soy Sauce that is oh so delicious. Words can’t describe the umami flavors that unlock when you eat this!
