Pure New Zealand Wakame-Independently Tested Lowest Heavy Metals 14.3oz

I was so glad I was able to find some wakame that was not from China, Korea and Japan. If you've done your research you know that the seas are polluted and heavy metals and other toxic things are being found in seaweed from these areas. The flavor of this product is amazing. If you are used to getting the super green seaweed salad served in Sushi restaurants this is very different. It does not have any dyes so the color is natural green. The texture is much more tender and the flavor is amazing. How I prepare it is to rinse the salt off the wakame and let it soak for a few minutes. The rinse and slice. I put it in a bowl with fish sauce and garlic chili paste, mix and eat. Yum!!

We wanted a source of natural iodine. This product is rated very high in purity according to the tests I have seen, so I give it five stars there. Because a generous serving doesn't have as much iodine as kelp, we had to eat more to get the levels we wanted. This is not only expensive, but I didn't care for the slimy, sea-weedy taste and texture as much. The leaves were good quality, and "fresh" as opposed to dried out, being preserved in salt pack. My review is not negative on the product, but just to say I couldn't stomach it in the end and ended up going with dried kelp, where the flavor was more moderate and I didn't need to consume as much.

This was a new brand to me and was not the dry wakame product I had expected. I do not intend to order it again.

Although this is obviously a quality product, it is not at all like the photo on the front of the packaging. It is very misleading, as well as the fact that pricing is about a dollar an ounce. The weight is mostly wet salt, so that you are not getting anywhere near the same amount of vegetables as 14 ounces dry weight. The seaweed is in very large wide leaves that are dark green, and do expand quite a bit after rehydration. The leaves stay dark green even after blanching and refrigerating as suggested on the website recipes. They do not turn a bright green at all. Perhaps fresh seaweed turns a bright green after blanching, same as other vegetables, but not after it is dried and salted.The leaves are tender and mild, like a spinach or kale, and will pick up the flavor of the dressing. They are not fishy tasting and are not slimy, at least not after being blanched. Since this is really fairly enjoyable, I gave it two stars. But I won't be buying it again. I can get fresh spinach and fresh kale a lot less expensive than from New Zealand.I am still very disappointed that this is not the product shown on the packaging. And I would really like to know where to get that one, bright green, tender threads like I have enjoyed elsewhere.

This seaweed is not like the picture on the front of the package, I wanted to buy the typical bright green shredded Wakame that you are served as seaweed salad at most sushi places (like the picture on the front of the bag). Once I got the bag and let it sit in water it looked like I had gathered the seaweed straight off the beach, there were very large dark green pieces that all had different textures. It tasted fine for that type of seaweed, I have been eating it even thought its not what thought and its quite pleasant. I feel a little mislead by the imaging of the front of the package, unless there is some particular way of preparing it that was not listed on the back to completely change the taste, texture and color to match the image on the front.... If you are looking for straight traditional seaweed like you see on the beach buy this, if you want a seaweed salad like you get at a sushi bar look elsewhere (and please let me know where you find it!).

Sea vegetables are not the most popular item in the world, most people don't even know what they are. I have never had Wakame before but was a regular consumer of dulse, just a different type of sea vegetable. This particular product was recently tested by an independent lab for contamination from the worlds oceans and the results of the tests put it in first place having ZERO heavy metals. It is so sad that our oceans have become so polluted, it is such blatant criminal behavior. Fukishima anyone? Massive cover up going on??? Personally I stopped eating fish because of the long list of dangers and was eliminating dulse for the same reason. Heavy metals are very poisonous, like mercury, lead, arsenic, aluminum and cadmium. Sea vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition but only if not contaminated.Anyway, I tried this, because of the high rating. It is sold in plastic bags and weighs a little under a pound. These bags are sealed and the wakame is moist and covered with salt. Lots of it. Salt is something I don't eat and considered this a drawback when I was deciding on whether to order or not. When the bags came, the instructions revealed the traditional way of preparing and I learned that the salt is just a natural preservative and is washed off before eating. So I removed about a third of the package, rinsed it with water and then placed it in some distilled water to remove every bit of the salt. The package said to do this, to soak for at least 10 minutes. What I didn't know was that the wakame would double in volume! Don't quite understand that but I sure had a lot of wakame for my dinner salad. So I squeezed all the water out and chopped up and mixed into the salad. Having twice the volume I expected was a welcome delight. Delicious is an understatement. Really. But we all have our own taste preferences, right? So, it's subjective.I liked it so much, the next day I ordered 20 more packages. Honest, I am not on drugs or anything, I just wanted to have enough to last a couple of months. I like to have a pantry that is well stocked and the great thing about it; is that so long as the bag is not opened it has a very long shelf life. I asked them about this and they said if will last "almost indefinitely".I wish I could think of a way I could describe the texture and taste. Seaweed may be the term used to describe these plants as undesirable, and there are some sea vegetables that taste this way. Kelp comes to mind. Wakame has none of this to my tasting. A mild taste, yet flavorful, a slight sea taste is there, very mild salty, just right actually. When it's in my salad, I can't tell that there is a "seaweed" in my salad. It just gives the salad a more solid footing. I want to say it is "meaty". What do I mean by this?... it's substantial but easy to chew, it's so not like lettuce, It's kind of chewy in a good way, not chewy that it's a workout, just right, again.Well, despite my clumsy attempt at describing my eating of this product, I am going to include the recipe that I used it in. I don't expect many people will have the ingredients that I used, but don't let this stop you. Use your imagination and make substitutes. All of this is available from Whole Foods. I get the coconut from a special market. I have seen them at Whole Foods but don't buy them there. Like I said, use your imagination, this is just a starting point.1-2 cups grated fresh coconut1/4 raw onion chopped up1 clove raw garlic, minsed1 turmeric root the size of my index finger, minsed or chopped1/2 - 1 cup of sauerkraut - Eden organic is what i use1 Tbs of goat whey from Mt. Capra - it is a dry powder full of minerals that give lots of flavor, this is not protein whey, big difference2 tsp of Annies mustard with horseradish - Whole Foods and some grocery stores1/8-1/4 of a package of Wakame