Ingredients
The sea moss
- 50 gdried Irish moss
- or Gracilaria sea moss
- rinsed and soaked
- 1 litrewater, to boil
The shake
- 500 mlmilk
- or evaporated milk
- 1 tincondensed milk
- about 400 g
- or to taste
- 1 teaspoonvanilla
- 1 teaspoonground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoongrated nutmeg
- a pinch of salt
Sometimes added
- a cinnamon stick
- for the boiling
- a strip of lime peel
- a splash of rum
- for adults
To serve
- well chilled
- in tall glasses
- with nutmeg grated over
Directions
- 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. Rinse the dried sea moss thoroughly. 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.
- 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. Add a cinnamon stick to the pot. Bring it up to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer it for about thirty minutes. Keep it at a gentle simmer only. Stir it occasionally throughout. 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.
- 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 cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Add the pinch of salt as well.
- 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.
- 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.
- Seaweeds can carry a lot of iodine, the content varying by species, and very high intakes affect 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, rinse until clear, then rinse again after soaking since more sand comes out. A clean sea smell is normal; a rotten one means discard it.
Substitutions
- Several species are sold as sea moss and behave similarly here: Gracilaria is very commonly sold and true Irish moss is another, the name coming from its historical gathering in Ireland.
- A splash of dark 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 drink; blend the gel while still warm and pourable, since it sets almost solid when cold, and make the drink looser than you want it since it thickens further as it chills.
- Soak it in the refrigerator in warm weather, since warm soaking water grows bacteria, and change the water once during the soak.
- The atlas also carries sea moss punch from Saint Vincent, essentially the same drink — it appears right across the Caribbean under different names. The Belizean version leans on cinnamon where the Vincentian one leans on nutmeg, a genuinely small difference the atlas notes without exaggerating.
History
Blended sea moss with milk, nutmeg and vanilla, sold as a strengthening drink along the coast, a habit shared across the Caribbean.
Frequently asked questions
What is Seaweed shake?
Seaweed shake is a drink from Belize: blended Irish moss drink with milk, cinnamon, nutmeg. Blended sea moss with milk, nutmeg and vanilla, sold as a strengthening drink along the coast, a habit shared across the Caribbean.
How long does Seaweed shake take to make?
Seaweed shake 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 Seaweed shake?
Yes, within limits. Several species are sold as sea moss and behave similarly here: Gracilaria is very commonly sold and true Irish moss is another, the name coming from its historical gathering in Ireland. A splash of dark 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 Seaweed shake?
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, rinse until clear, then rinse again after soaking since more sand comes out. A clean sea smell is normal; a rotten one means discard it.
