Nori (aka laver) is a sea vegetable that has been dried and pressed into sheets. It is used to wrap rice balls or as the exterior covering of sushi rolls (Japanese raw fish rolls).
High quality nori sheets are greenish-black in colour. Nori is often crumbled or cut into strips and used as a garnish. It is also sold in flake form. Nori is often sold already toasted and the label will indicate if it is.
I prefer to use toasted nori and it can be toasted over a flame for 10 seconds or in a 300 degrees F oven for one minute. Toasting removes any excess moisture and improves the texture.
