Laverbread is probably one of the most iconic of Welsh
dishes, but something of a niche ingredient and an acquired taste! A taste well worth acquiring too! It isn’t actually a bread but a cooked edible
seaweed, found along the Welsh coastline.
It was a traditional breakfast staple for mineworkers,
served with bacon and cockles for those who could get them fresh, or eggs for
those living further inland. Some cook
the laverbread simply by reheating it in a pan with some bacon and cockles
before spreading it on top toast, with the bacon and cockles on the side;
others mix it with oatmeal before frying it and serving with bacon and cockles
or egg on the side.
My method is a simple one and the ingredients simply a
matter of ratio – for every tablespoon of laver you mix in a tablespoon of
oatmeal (porridge oats). Season with a little
black pepper but no salt because the laver is salty enough.
Per person :
1tb laverbread
1tb oatmeal
Black pepper to taste
2 rashers of bacon
1 egg or a handful of cockles
In a basin mix the oatmeal and laverbread together, seasoning with a little black pepper.
Heat a little lard or bacon grease in a frying pan – or,
with the lovely Tefal non-stick pans just cook a few rashers of bacon for a few
minutes until they release some fat, then drop spoonfuls of the laver and
oatmeal mix into the pan and shape into patties. It only needs heating through so cook it for
as long as the bacon takes to cook through on both sides and turn the patties
over once to cook through from the other side.
If you’re adding cockles simply add them for the last few minutes to heat
through properly.
If you're using egg instead of cockles simply fry or poach as you prefer and serve alongside the laverbread patties and bacon.
