BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. — In the way some chefs forage for ingredients like mushrooms and huckleberries, Grant Rico uses the waters off Bainbridge Island to harvest a staple of his menu: seaweed.
During low tide, he drives to a beach five miles from his award-winning restaurant Seabird and free-dives for various forms of edible algae.
"It's pretty special, I mean the classic chef life is noisy and chaotic and intense and stressful,” Rico said. "It's really important from an almost spiritual way to get out here, get grounded with nature, and just remind ourselves that the food we're eating is connected to the nature around us."
Seaweed is plentiful around the island, and Rico said that sense of sustainability is a big draw.
"It's renewable, it's one of the fastest growing plants or organisms perhaps in the world,” he said.
Edible seaweed is also a super food, enriched with protein, fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants.
But Rico said, as a chef, one of the biggest advantages is how it tastes.
"Seaweed has the highest concentration of glutamates, which is an organic compound that creates the umami sensation, the umami flavor,” he said. "Just from that standpoint alone, it's just a way to make your food more delicious."
After a few minutes diving on a March morning, he emerged with a bag of discoveries including nori (most commonly used for sushi) and dulse (which has a bacon-like flavor.) On the open market, dulse can cost $20 a pound.
"That's part of where the real creative inspiration comes from is like, what does this taste like? How can it be used?" Rico said. "I might take this beautiful dulse and pickle it, and I'll likely dehydrate this nori."
Seaweed is in virtually every dish he serves. Often it’s used as a base ingredient to build flavor, but he’s also created seaweed bread, sugar kelp butter, and seaweed ice cream.
Rico also harvests water from Puget Sound to make salt.
"I think food is the greatest communicator or representation of what's going on around us,” he said.
The natural ingredients combined with fresh seafood and endless creativity helped Seabird earn regional and national honors last year. Esquire named it one of the best new restaurants in America, and Seattle Met named it “one of the best new restaurants of 2022.”
Whatever his guests order, Rico hopes they have an experience — each bite, a true connection to the Sound, like the one he shares while foraging.
"They get to enjoy this day, this moment, on Bainbridge Island, and what it has to offer,” he said.
Seabird is located at 133 Winslow Way E. on Bainbridge Island, and is open for dinner service Thursday – Sunday from 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
KING 5's Evening celebrates the Northwest. Contact us: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email.