WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Our nori chips boast a light, crisp texture and fresh-from-the-sea flavor. To create a great chip, we focused on a few simple elements. First, we tested various oven temperatures and times and found that a moderately hot oven (350 degrees) produced the best chips.
Neither a low oven temperature (275 degrees) nor a high temperature (400degrees) yielded successful results within a varied time range. The low temperature gave us floppy chips, while the high temperature produced chips with an unpleasant burnt taste. Further testing revealed that our initial 15-minute cook time could be shortened to a mere 8 minutes. In order to preserve the clean nori flavor, we added only sesame seeds, which toasted nicely while the chips baked, and a little kosher salt. Vegetable oil brushed on the chips pulled double duty, helping the sesame seeds to adhere while helping to further crisp up the chips. For a sturdier chip with even better crunch, we folded the nori sheets to double their thickness; water brushed between the folded sheets kept them together. Finally, we cut each sheet into uniform strips. After a few minutes in the oven, these toasty dark green treats were ready to enjoy. You can use either toasted or untoasted nori sheets for this recipe. Leftover chips can be stored in a paper towel–lined airtight container for up to seven days.
MAKES: 60 chips
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- PREHEAT AND PREPARE
- Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- PREPARE NORI SHEETS
- Working with 1 nori sheet at a time, brush bottom half liberally with water.
- Fold top half toward you and press firmly until sealed.
- Brush top of folded nori with ⅛ teaspoon oil, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sesame seeds, and season with salt to taste.
- Cut nori into 1-inch strips.
- ARRANGE AND BAKE
- Arrange nori strips in single layer, spaced evenly apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake until nori is very crisp and sesame seeds are golden, about 8 minutes.
- Switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking (nori strips should be dark and shriveled slightly).
- SERVE
- Let cool completely on sheets, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Serve.
