‘Season, season and then season some more’ has always been a mantra

This invariably meant adding salt. If the sauce or dish you cooked didn’t cut the muster with the chef it normally meant a clip round the ear or worse with the result I associate not seasoning things with casual kitchen violence. When, like me, you reach a certain age salt becomes the enemy and is blamed for high blood pressure and a myriad of other ailments.

Government directives tell us to eat no more than a teaspoon of salt a day. The reckoning is that 75% of our salt intake comes from hidden additions in bread, cereals and ready meals. As I’ve got older, and now take a daily pill for aforementioned high blood pressure I consider the amount of salt I put in my food and use other seasonings to pep up my food. Seaweed is now one of my condiments of choice. The writer John B Keane summed up its importance when he said: “God created seaweed, the seaweed made the world.” It can promote heart health, reduce blood sugar and can be good for boosting the immune system. You can buy dulse and other seaweeds that are dried and can be used instead of or in tandem with salt. Don’t think it will make your food taste fishy but instead it adds umami to dishes. Crawford’s Rock seaweed in Kilkeel was established by Michelle Wilson in 2018 but her family have foraged for hundreds of years along the County Down coastline for the seaweed, shoulk which is commonly called laver or nori. In the north west of Northern Ireland we call it “sloke”. It’s the dark black seaweed that you see wrapped round sushi rolls.

As custodians of the shore Michelle’s family had the kelp seaweed rights and her great grandfather distributed this to local farmers for agricultural purposes. With seaweed now bang on trend, the family have brought the tradition of foraging seaweed back to life with their company. The name Crawford’s Rock is named after a landmark rock just off Hole Port where Derryogue Harbour used to be. It is situated “where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea”, with perfect views of Slieve Binnian.

Some of their innovative products include pickled seaweed, seaweed flakes, fiery dulse togarashi and black fermented garlic and seatruffle salt. Sea truffle is also called pepper dulse and is much prized for its flavour like the earthy mushrooms. These seasonings will not only add va va voom to your cooking but they’re healthy, nutritious and low in salt. In the recipe here I’ve paired new season carrots with Crawford’s Rock chilli and sesame seasoning and laver bread. Carrots are perfect at the moment – buy them in a bunch with the tops on, caked in mud for maximum sweetness. Serve with grills or roasts.

Miso is a soy bean paste that’s a great flavour with much reduced salt. There’s always a jar in my fridge and I add it to dishes instead of salt – in soups, sauces, stir fries etc. You can buy small jars in supermarkets but it’s much better value to buy a larger amount in Asia shops. They normally sell it in a pouch that can be decanted into jars. The recipe here is for a miso brown butter – the butter is melted and when it starts to smell like nuts add shallots and garlic. Cook for a minute then whisk in some miso and cool. When it solidifies whizz in some scallions and chill. Slice the butter and add to grilled steaks, fish, poultry or vegetables for a wonderful savouriness. I’ve also added a recipe for gomashio – a condiment of dried dulse pulsed with sesame seeds. It adds a lovely crunch and healthy seasoning to a myriad of dishes from salads to stirfries, vegetables and meats. Cutting back on salt doesn’t mean reducing flavour.