Samphire

Marsh samphire grows on muddy, sandy flats, often around estuaries and tidal creeks and as you can imagine from the location it has a delicious salty taste. Rock samphire is harder to acquire and a risky product to harvest as it tends to grow high up on cliffs. Because it’s a succulent it has a satisfying crunch, raw or cooked. You’ll find it at market from now until September but earlier is better before the flowers have time to form and it grows fibrous.

The name Samphire is commonly thought to be a corruption of "Saint Pierre" - St. Peter - the patron saint of fishermen because fishermen took it to sea to ward off scurvy.  Other less common names include sea fennel. The fleshy stems can be eaten raw but it’s delicious steamed, buttered and served as a partner with fish.

Most of our fishermen bring it to market including David and Sylvia Jennings & Simon Long, from the Norfolk coast. East coast samphire is apparently larger than that found on the south coast. The flavour is the same but there’s more of it per stem!

It’s common to pickle it, and in Norfolk it’s traditionally eaten with vinegar.

 The sea saltiness of samphire works very well with eggs. I’ve used sea vegetables in tortillas & Japanese style omlettes – this is one step along. Serve with a salad; sorrel works well added with other salad leaves to add a sharp lemon tang that takes on the sea salt of the samphire.

Samphire and new potato tortilla

To serve 3-4

200g samphire

About 8 medium new potatoes

Two medium banana shallots or one large onion.

6 eggs

salt and pepper

50g butter

1 tbl olive oil

Wash and scrub the new potatoes, cut in half if large and put into a pan of cold water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer until just cooked.

Peal and slice the shallots. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large non stick or seasoned frying pan. Over a medium heat add the shallots and cook slowly allowing them to caramelize, don’t let them burn.

Trim the samphire of its stems and wash well. Blanch for a couple of minutes in boiling water. Test a piece, depending on the size and age it may need another minute or two. Drain when cooked.

Slice the potatoes thickly and add to the onions in the frying pan. Add more butter if necessary. Allow them to crisp up.

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add seasoning (go easy with the salt) and mix gently with a fork. Add with the samphire to the pan, shake it all together and distribute evenly. Leave to cook over a gentle heat until almost set. All but the very centre should be solid. Put under a hot grill for a minute to firm up and serve warm.  

© Cheryl Cohen 2011