Dulse seaweed: bacon-flavored deliciousness, or grimy sea food?

There's been a lot of hype lately about the nutritionally dense dulse seaweed and claims that it tastes like bacon. As a community of veggie-loving foodies, this piqued our interest so today I challenged some Better Farmers to a taste test.

First, the claims:

Dulse is a superfood with twice the nutritional value of kale
"This stuff is pretty amazing,” said chief researcher Chris Langdon. “When you fry it, which I have done, it tastes like bacon, not seaweed. And it’s a pretty strong bacon flavor.” (TIME)
"Food lovers might no longer have to choose between tastiness and healthiness." (CNN)

The expert panel I brought in for this challenge was comprised of people who know what bacon tastes like—but who also enjoy vegetarian and vegan substitutes. Here are their findings.

RAW, UNCUT FOOTAGE:

While the seaweed fried up nicely and needs no salting, it just didn't have the flavor to warrant a bacon-substitute claim. And even those who enjoyed the initial taste of the crunchy snack didn't have anything nice to say about the aftertaste.

The results? Stick with the tempeh bacon and save the seaweed for veggie rolls, miso soup and baked into other dishes. Dulse just didn't come close.

Don't cry just yet—here are a bunch of totally amazing resources for delicious, vegan bacon everyone can enjoy: