Best Types for Frying

• There are thousands of different types of seaweed, loosely classified by their colors of green, brown or red. The familiar nori found in sushi comes from red seaweed, while green forms are the cheapest and brown are the most expensive. Wakame has a salty-sweet flavor and is great for stir-frying, as are brown arame and red dulce. The meatier texture of kombu royale kelp or limu seaweed make them better for tempura style frying, although almost any type of edible seaweed can be fried using the various methods.

Classic Crispy Seaweed

• Chinese crisp-fried seaweed is often made with the cabbage bok choy, but seaweed is interchangeable in the recipes. Use a leafier type of seaweed like sea lettuce, washed in cold water and drained thoroughly. Chop the seaweed leaves into shreds and lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet to dry in the oven for several minutes. Then the shreds are added to hot oil in a wok or frying pan until crisped. Traditional crispy seaweed is garnished with salt, sugar and toasted nuts.

Savory Stir-Fries

• Seaweed belongs to the vegetable family and is a natural for stir-frying, just like broccoli, peppers and other green veggies. Dried seaweed will need to be soaked first -- until it plumps up -- and then drained, while fresh seaweed can simply be chopped or julienned and used as is. Saute or stir-fry the seaweed in hot oil in a wok or frying pan with a little garlic ginger and soy sauce or dashi sauce. Or, add other vegetables to the mix, like carrots, onions or mushrooms. Top off the stir-fried vegetables with a few toasted sesame seeds.

Breaded Bounty

• Tempura is a favorite Japanese style of cooking, with vegetables, fish and meat dipped into a light, fluffy batter and then deep-fried. To create a seaweed tempura, use fresh seaweed or soaked dry seaweed, making sure it's patted dry thoroughly. While the oil is heating in the fryer, combine flour; salt; other seasonings of choice, such as turmeric, garam masala or a prepared tandoori spice powder; an egg; and enough water to create the consistency of thick paint. Dip seaweed pieces into the batter and then fry until golden brown.