I’ve been inordinately lazy of late. But I have been writing stuff. Er, eating under the guise of reviewing. Boom – originally published over at The Green Man Review!

I love senbei mixes. The crunch, salty goodness. The nori (seaweed) yumminess. Those tasty flavored peanuts. That wasabi kick. But mostly, I love that there are so many different flavors, my tongue never has to worry about Fear Of Missing Out On Yummy. (FOMOOY? Sure.) This particular gathering of treats has been a favorite of mine for years, and I’m so happy to let you in on my little no-so-secret.

The first thing senbei newbies may notice are the wasabi peanuts. Those bright green peas coated with crunchy, spicy goodness. This packet goes with more crunch than spice, though there’s a brief whiff of horseradish. That goes well with this mix, as it doesn’t steal the show from the other bites. 

There’s also broad beans coated in squid-flavored cracker (a mild palate cleanser that packs a pleasing squiddy aftertaste), cracker-covered peanuts that taste of bonito (dried fish flakes) and red pepper, and a more traditional shoyu-flavored cracker, filled with peanuts and sprinkled with bits of nori. Then there’s the prawn peanuts. My favorite! I want to buy big ol’ packets of these nibbles by themselves. (AND I CAN.) Something about the blend of dried prawn, crunch cracker shell, and peanuts…it’s got a delicious umami taste – and a perfect blend of salty and sweet – that I can’t get enough of.

These are made for happy hour nibbles, matched with your beverage of choice. In fact, they’d make a wonderful accompaniment to those spicy peanuts I reviewed! Or you can have some alongside a bowl of chirashi, bites of sushi, or if you want to go full-on savory, spam musubi. Yum! But best grab more than one packet. You’ll want to have some later, and at two ounces per pack, you’ll be needing more than just one packet can deliver.