A globally-minded snack to curb your whole-food cravings. Here comes butter popcorn, elevated to a new savory dimension with its seaweed gomasio topping. Land & sea combined in one perfect mouthful.
Do the French eat popcorn?
Yes, French people enjoy popcorn, but perhaps not to the extent we do in the US. After all, corn is the quintessential food of America. I remember my first time in an American movie theater: I found the popcorn buckets enormous. Everyone had their own serving, and the whole room smelled like buttery grains.
But France is increasingly taking after the US. And though small French theaters generally don’t serve popcorn, every big-box theater now has freshly popped corn available for purchase.
French people use the American name for popcorn — du popcorn — but with a flatter pronunciation: pope-corn. Beyond its place in theaters, it’s a snack my mom occasionally made at home. It is indeed a wholesome and inexpensive treat.
Now that I live in the US, I find myself making it more frequently. Eating corn in its native habitat somehow feels right. And I like playing with its humble nature to infuse it with a particular mood. The other day I found myself dreaming of warm puffy kernels covered in gomasio.
What is gomasio?
Gomasio is a Japanese flaky condiment made of sesame (goma) and salt (shio). It’s a delicately seasoned salt, a kind of furikake seasoning, but with no fishy or sweet element. Gomasio’s taste is very clean.
The best way to make it is to toast sesame seeds together with sea salt. As the seeds heat up, the fragrances and oils they release directly infuse into the salt. They’re then ground up to a flaky, fairy dust consistency. The result is no longer just sesame and salt, but gomasio. Nutty, salty, savory.
Dried seaweed (laver) is sometimes included in the mix. Its Japanese name, nori, means “ocean moss,” and it is one of the sweetest seaweeds out there. Grassy, mineral-rich, and refreshing, laver emphasizes the marine essence of sea salt.
France under the spell of Japan
I thought of using gomasio on popcorn because of my upbringing. While French people today are quite obsessed with American culture, they’ve long been fond of the Japanese way of life. My family is no exception.
My mom, for example, would frequently take us to the House of Japanese Culture in Paris, just an hour away by high-speed train. There, we’d watch people play Go, participate in culinary workshops, or learn to use chopsticks.
And then there’s my dad, a discreet man who loves Japanese literature. He writes French haikus, and with his quiet and mysterious ways, I’ve often wondered if he might be part Japanese.
Why has France taken such a liking for Japan? Does it have to do with a certain French quietness? Or a shared love for fine cuisine?
One thing is for sure: there was always shoyu (sauce soja) at my house and jars of gomasio on store shelves.
How to make seaweed gomasio popcorn
Toast slightly sweet corn so it becomes crunchy and nutty. Add some grass-fed butter for essential fats and depth of flavor. Then generously sprinkle some seaweed gomasio to highlight the popcorn’s nuttiness.
The result: an elevated snack.
Bon appétit!
>>Looking for more savory snacks? Try my quick Eggs in Shells!
>>Or try my sweet and savory Toast with Pear and Blue cheese.
Have questions about French culture? Let me know below! And if you make the recipe, please rate it and tag #frenchfrimousse on Instagram so we can stay connected.
Buttered Popcorn with Seaweed Gomasio – Popcorn au beurre et gomasio de la mer
Equipment
- medium pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup popping corn – any color
- 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp grass-fed butter
- 1/4 tsp unrefined sea salt – not iodized
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds – any color
- 1 sheet dry seaweed – also labeled nori or gim
Instructions
For the gomasio
- This is perfect for one batch of popcorn but you can multiply the recipe as needed to have some on hand.Briefly pass the sheet of seaweed over a low-heat flame to toast it. It will stiffen and become more crispy.
- If you have a spice grinder, pulse it until you get small flakes. Otherwise, do it by hand: first crumble it up, then chop it finely with a sharp knife. It doesn’t need to be perfectly even.
- Toast the sesame seeds and salt together in a small dry pan set over low heat, stirring frequently. Heat for about 5 minutes or until the seeds become fragrant.
- Add the toasted seeds and salt to the spice grinder with the seaweed and pulse until most seeds are broken down. Otherwise, pound in a mortar and pestle before incorporating the minced seaweed. It should still have some texture and not be completely powdered.
For the popcorn
- Add the olive oil and the corn to a medium pot then shake gently to make sure the kernels are in one even layer. Put the lid on and set over medium heat. When the kernels start to pop, lower the heat slightly and continue to cook until popping subsides. Shake the pot one more time to give all the kernels a chance to pop.
- When popping stops, remove from heat and let cool slightly to avoid burning the butter. Add the butter and stir to incorporate. It will melt from residual heat.
- Move the popcorn to a medium bowl, sprinkle with seaweed gomasio, and stir well. Enjoy hot!