Summary: A vibrant, nutrient boosting sea purslane recipe, using a little known part of the plant.
This slow-growing shrub belonging to the goosefoot family is found in salt marshes and muddy beaches. Sea purslane (Atriplex portulacoides syn. Halimione portulacoides) is fairly common along the coast of England and Ireland, although less so in Scotland according to Mrs Grieve.
I love the seeds in this sea purslane (Atriplex portulacoides) recipe. Most folk usually only talk about the leaves. However the seeds of sea purslane are far easier to gather than the leaves, and vast quantities can be collected in a very short time.
The seeds of the Atriplex genus have in bygone days been ground into a meal, but on this occasion I decided to make a pesto, and boy did it work. I placed a huge bowl in front of some friends, and it was wolfed down in the blink of an eye. Definitely a sea purslane recipe worth trying, even if I say so myself.
Sea Purslane Pesto Recipe Ingredients
- 4 handfuls of sea purslane seed
- 1 handful of pumpkin seeds
- 1 garlic clove (chopped)
- 1 lemon (juiced)
- black pepper
- olive oil
Sea Purslane Pesto Recipe Instructions
- De-twig the sea purslane seeds, and then wash the seeds until the water looks relatively clear.
- Place all the ingredients in a blender, and pulse until a to the desired consistency. I find that sometimes I like smooth pesto, and at other times a more chunky variation is desired.
- Pour into a bowl, and swirl over some additional olive oil and lemon juice , and top off by sprinkling some toasted sea purslane seeds.
- Serve with crudités or warmed pita breads.