Sea moss punch

Ingredients

The sea moss

• 50 gdried sea moss
• Irish moss or Gracilaria
• rinsed and soaked
• 1 litrewater, to boil

The punch

• 500 mlmilk
• or evaporated milk
• 1 tincondensed milk
• about 400 g
• or to taste
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• 1 teaspoongrated nutmeg
• 1cinnamon stick
• a pinch of salt

Sometimes added

• a strip of lime peel
• 2bay leaves
• a piece of fresh ginger
• a splash of rum, optional
• for adults

To serve

• well chilled
• in tall glasses
• with nutmeg grated over

Directions

1. Rinse it under cold running water. Rub it between your fingers as you do. Pick out any shells or bits of grit. Rinse until the water runs clear. It should not smell rotten though. Discard anything that smells wrong. Rinse the dried sea moss thoroughly.
2. Rub it between your fingers as you rinse. Pick out any shells that you find. Rinse it several times right over. Cover it with cold water and soak it. Give it at least four full hours. Use plenty of water to cover it. Soak it in the refrigerator if warm. Warm soaking water grows bacteria. Drain and rinse the soaked moss. Rinse it under running water again.
3. Check it once more for debris. Then it is finally ready to boil. Put the moss in a pot with water. Use about a litre to fifty grams. That gives a genuinely thick gel. Adjust it all to your preference. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Simmer it for about thirty minutes. Keep it at a gentle simmer only. Stir it occasionally throughout.
4. Add the cinnamon and bay to the pot. Strain the liquid through a sieve. Press it through with a spoon. Strain it twice if it is lumpy. Let the gel cool down a little. It sets almost solid when cold. Blend it while still warm and pourable.
5. Put the warm gel into a blender. Add the milk and condensed milk. Blend it until entirely smooth. Give it a good full minute of it. Blend it genuinely thoroughly. Add the vanilla and grated nutmeg. Add the pinch of salt as well.
6. Grate it fresh if you possibly can. It stops it tasting flat and cloying. Taste it and adjust the sweetness. Add more milk if it is too sweet. Add more condensed milk if too plain. Adjust it all to your own taste. Make it looser than you want it. Add more milk to thin it later.
7. Stir a splash of dark rum into it. Say plainly if you have added it. Discard it if it smells at all sour. Keep it genuinely cold at all times. Serving it is done genuinely cold. Shake or stir it before pouring. Stir it every time before pouring. Pour it out into tall glasses. Grate fresh nutmeg over the top. It is served genuinely very cold.

Technique

• Sea moss is sold with many health claims, most of which are not well established. The atlas records the traditional framing — it is genuinely called a strength drink and that is what people call it there — without endorsing medical claims. What is known is that it is a seaweed carrying minerals and fibre; broad claims go well beyond that.
• Seaweeds can carry a lot of iodine and the content varies enormously by species, with very high intakes affecting thyroid function — a documented effect. Moderate amounts are the sensible course, and anyone with a thyroid condition or taking thyroid medication should ask a doctor.
• Dried sea moss carries sand, salt, small shells and debris, and all of it must be rinsed out — rub it between your fingers under running water, pick out shells and rinse until the water runs clear, then rinse again after soaking since more sand comes out. A clean sea smell is normal; a rotten or sour one means discard it.

Substitutions

• Soaking it with lime or lemon reduces the sea smell further and is a genuine traditional practice; plain water works perfectly well too. Soak it in the refrigerator in warm weather, since warm soaking water grows bacteria.
• A splash of rum makes it an adult drink and is genuinely done in some places — say plainly if you have added it, since the plain version has none at all.

Variations

• Boiling releases the seaweed’s carrageenan, the natural gelling compound in red seaweeds, which thickens the whole drink and gives its characteristic slightly slippery texture — unfamiliar to some but not a fault. Blend the gel while still warm and pourable, since it sets almost solid when cold.
• Make it looser than you want it, since it thickens considerably as it chills, and thin it with milk before serving.
• It contains milk and must stay refrigerated throughout, keeping about three days; discard it if it smells at all sour, and stir it before every pour since it separates slightly as it stands.

History

Seaweed boiled to a gel and blended with milk and spices, sold as a strengthening drink across the islands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sea moss punch?

Sea moss punch is a drink from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: blended sea moss with milk and spice, a ‘strength’ drink. Seaweed boiled to a gel and blended with milk and spices, sold as a strengthening drink across the islands.

How long does Sea moss punch take to make?

Sea moss punch takes 20 minutes plus soaking of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes about 1.5 litres. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Sea moss punch?

Yes, within limits. Soaking it with lime or lemon reduces the sea smell further and is a genuine traditional practice; plain water works perfectly well too. Soak it in the refrigerator in warm weather, since warm soaking water grows bacteria. A splash of rum makes it an adult drink and is genuinely done in some places — say plainly if you have added it, since the plain version has none at all.

What is the most important thing to get right in Sea moss punch?

Dried sea moss carries sand, salt, small shells and debris, and all of it must be rinsed out — rub it between your fingers under running water, pick out shells and rinse until the water runs clear, then rinse again after soaking since more sand comes out. A clean sea smell is normal; a rotten or sour one means discard it.