Limu Manauea.
A reddish-brown branching limu and a star ingredient of traditional ʻahi poke.
Limu manauea is a reddish-brown branching algae and one of the most prized limu in Hawaiian cuisine — it is a defining ingredient of traditional ʻahi poke.
It is also the natural source of agar, used worldwide as a vegetarian gelling agent in everything from desserts to laboratory petri dishes.
Wild manauea has become rare on Oʻahu reefs and is now mostly farmed in commercial limu ponds. Several restoration projects are working to bring it back to wild reefs.
More from Seaweeds (Limu).
Limu Wāwaeʻiole
Soft, finger-like green algae whose name means "rat's foot." Traditionally eaten fresh or salted.
Limu Pālahalaha
Bright green "sea lettuce" with broad, translucent sheets that drape the intertidal.
Limu Līpoa
Aromatic brown algae with a strong, almost peppery flavor.
Limu Kohu
Reddish-pink, soft and feathery — perhaps the most highly prized Hawaiian limu.