Brooklyn Beckham sparks backlash over ocean water pasta recipe

Brooklyn Beckham recalled his old viral post about his cooking clip, in which he collected seawater directly from the ocean and poured it into his pasta while on his yacht. The video ignited heated discussion over social media.

In the viral video, Beckham noted, “Today I am going to make some tomato pasta,” before carrying a saucepan to the edge of the boat. He continued, “Of course we get some pasta water”. He then boiled spaghetti in seawater and prepared a sauce with chopped tomatoes and his own hot sauce, Cloud23.

The clip, originally filmed last summer, drew renewed scrutiny from viewers questioning both the hygiene and practicality of the method.

Coastal cooks and sailors have historically used seawater in food preparation, though typically diluted with fresh water given its high salt concentration, something Beckham’s video didn’t appear to account for.

Much of the concern centered on where exactly he scooped the water from, directly beside a working yacht, with some commenters speculating about possible contamination.

The repost also doubled as another opportunity to promote Cloud23, the hot sauce line Beckham launched in 2024 after growing serious about cooking during the pandemic; he’s said he hopes to eventually expand the brand into a broader range of condiments.

@itsthespotlight Brooklyn Beckham left fans confused as he shared a video of him cooking a pasta dish using water from the ocean on Monday. Brooklyn started his cooking video by dipping a sauce pan in the sea to fill up his pot from his luxury yacht, before chopping his tomatoes and adding them to an oiled pan Would you eat this pasta? 🎥 brooklynpeltzbeckham/Instagram #cooking #brooklynbeckham #beckham #pasta #ocean ♬ original sound – The Spotlight