Back in the 16th and 17th century Rock Samphire pickle was eaten regularly. These days it’s virtually unheard of thanks to the boring, puritan Victorians who deemed it unworthy as a foodstuff. Personally I love it and eat it mixed into brown rice or millet with a dash of tamari as a nourishing snack. Goes very well with cold meat and cheese, and also pate and toast.
Ingredients
- 500g rock samphire
- 5 echalion shallots
- 500ml white wine vinegar
- 450g granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground mace
Suggested Instructions
- Remove Rock Samphire leaflets from main stems, and thinly slice the echalion shallots.
- Put the leaflets and shallots in cold salted water for 30 minutes. Make sure they are submerged.
- Put Rock Samphire and shallots in a saucepan and cover with water, then bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain and cool. The spoon into sterilised jam jars.
- Now put white wine vinegar, sugar and spices into a saucepan and stir over a medium heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Pour into jars and cap.
- Leave for at minimum a month, and preferably three. However one jar of mine didn’t last 24 hours and still tasted fantastic.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
the recipe sounded delsious . but unless we can see and know the plant of what use is the recipe to us ?????? thanks anyway
Well Walter I suggest you grab yourself a plant ID book and start learning what the plants featured on this site look like. I can’t hold your hand the whole time.
I live in Mallorca and this stuff grows everywhere! I find the simplest way of identifying any plant is to use the internet.
Rock Samphire is sold in every supermarket pickled in jars, the locals adore it and eat it for breakfast.
Ann: That’s really interesting, thanks. I’ve just found some recipes for Pa Amb Oli which I’m going to experiment with.
I live in a cornish village where you can simply lean over a seawall and pick stacks of it. Will be trying it this year both fresh and pickled. In the main it isn’t as accessible as Marsh so may be why it is less popular?
ann, my mother grew up in mallorca and she says that out there they call it sea fennel? i went picking the other day in devon and realised that where the stems meet looks just like fennel, are they related? either way the stuff is delicious we had it as a garnish on grilled seabream! yum
Thanks for the info Ann, I also live in Mallorca. It appears that the Fonoll Mari is a protected species in the Baleares, so pick in stealth mode
When I was young we picked Rock Samphire from the banks of the river Humber, East Yorkshire. We took it home and hosed it down outside with a hopepipe because it was caked in thick mud! When we pickled it, it was left on the stalks and you shoved the whole thing in your mouth and sucked off the flesh, it was glorious!