In Goa, we taste seaweed on a tide pool walk

The setting sun across the looming black rock formations casts a long, unhurried glow, before merging into the depths of the Arabian Sea. It is still bright, though. From across the white sandy cove, reverberations waft in from Shiva Valley, one of Goa’s oldest party spaces. There are a few tourists hanging around in small groups across the rocks, allowing for the laid-back vibes to gently wash over them.  

We are in Anjuna. Not for the flea market. Nor the psychedelic music that one associates with this hippie haven of yester years.  

As part of Goa’s Heritage First Festival, I am here for a sunset walk along Anjuna’s tide pools, to take a peek into the lesser-known marine habitat around the coast, exploring the biodiversity and seaweed along this rocky stretch. “The festival is dedicated to preserving and promoting Goa’s built, natural and cultural heritage. Since seaweed is such an endemic part of Goa’s natural heritage, it was great to bring in more people into the fold and show them this side of the marine world,” says Gabriella D’Cruz, marine conservationist and founder of The Good Ocean, an ocean-based business focussed on seaweed. Gabriela has been studying seaweed forests and marine life for years now.

Goa has more than 100 kms of coastline and 145 species of seaweed of which almost all are edible, though still not very popular as a cooking ingredient. Seaweed farming is increasingly being considered as a viable addition to fishing activities in order to interject the diet with the goodness of these marine treasures. The harvest season is from November to March, and it is done by Gabriela along with a few local seaweed harvesters. The water content is fairly high in the seaweed and the yield is precious. It sells at ₹9.6 per gram and is used by some chefs and for the production of seaweed crackers.  

We start our clamber down from Curlies, the iconic beach shack with a certain cult status, atop the cliff and descend into the tide pools. Since sargassum, a type of brown algae, is the most prolific and in season now, we immediately notice the lush growth. These slithery branches can go upto 15 feet by March and provide nutrition and breeding environment for many marine organisms such as turtles, crabs, shrimp, fish and seabirds.. We stop to taste some. Salty, grassy, nutty, with lingering umami notes. Yes, most certainly, it calls for an acquired taste. 

We move ahead along the rocks and spot some barnacles dotting the sides. Some are mere shells, but we do see little heads squiggling out of a few barnacle coverings. Turning our focus back to the water, we turn towards a shock of translucent green sea fan flapping nearby. A little ahead, luxuriant and bright green seaweed caulerpa. “These are very rare and not recommended for harvesting.  They are also unique in their own way because they consist of only one cell with many nuclei,” we learn from Gabriella. It is the end of the season, but there are just a few sea cucumbers too. These fleshy organisms are prized through South East Asia and are rich in their high protein content and medicinal properties.  

And, what about the famous Anjuna Anemone? I have been curious about this type of sea anemone, famed through Asia and first seen here on Anjuna beach. As if on cue, we spot a few peering out from inside a tide pool. Flower like, with glorious fronds encircling the middle, gently waving in the water. “Anthopleura anjunae or Anjuna Anemone was discovered right in this spot in 1993….and, so you see, there’s so much about Goa’s marine life we are yet to know. And cherish,” says Gabriella.

Seaweed hugging to the rocks
| Photo Credit:
Heritage First Goa

I am curious to know how seafood is being used to interject the culinary arts. 

“Seaweed is power packed with minerals, vitamins and bioactive substances. Here in India, the uses are mainly for fertilisers and the pharmaceutical industry and in food products to make agar, substituting gelatin,” Gabriela tells us.  “Chefs are a very important part of carrying the message home, so we’re working with a few chefs to make cooking with seaweed more mainstream.”  

Gabriela and her team had previously worked with Chef Varun Totlani of Masque and with Chef Pablo from Makutsu. The upcoming Serendipity Arts Festival will have a session on Goan seaweed’s culinary potential where The Good Ocean teams up with Chef Priyanka Sardessai, of Larder & Folk, a cafe in Fontainhas, Panjim. To be held on December 18, chef Priyanka will show some ways in which native Goan seaweed, being a hyper-local ingredient, can be morphed into delicious culinary crafts using traditional techniques from around the world.  

The setting sun by now had made its exit, casting a pale mauve light across the rocks. We stop by under a tree by the side of the rocks, for a post-walk huddle. Gabriella and Chaitanya Chowgule from The Good Ocean open up a pack of their seaweed crackers to go with cups of chai. The crackers are their own creation and a box retails for ₹350, available online through Atmosphere Studios.  

Gabriela explaining the seaweed varieties
| Photo Credit:
Heritage First Goa

We slowly make our way home from there, carrying sea-soaked memories of all the discoveries we have made on our tide pool walk today. The technicoloured wonders of the ocean.

The seaweed walk was a part of Heritage First Goa (HFG), founded by Heta Pandit, Snigdha Manchanda and Jack Ajit Sukhija. To register for the session on Goan seaweed on December 18, log on to serendipityartsfestival.com.

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