Rock Samphire

Squid With Garlic Mustard and Rock Samphire Seeds

This dish of squid dusted in flour and Cornish sea salt, makes for a wondrous taste-tingling experience. Combined with wild edibles such as  rock samphire seeds deep fried in hot sesame oil, and other wild greens, it makes for an epicurean memory filled meal.

Ingredients

  • 3 handfuls of finely sliced wild greens (whatever is in season e.g. garlic mustard, ramsons, nettle, nipplewort, hairy bittercress, black mustard etc.)
  • 3tbsp rock samphire seeds
  • 1/4tsp umami powder
  • 1/2tsp ground ginger/fresh grated ginger
  • 3tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 handful of cashew nuts
  • rice vinegar (to taste)
  • tamari/soy sauce (to taste)
  • 1tbsp honey
  • 1 lemon (juiced + lemon zest to taste)

Instructions

  1. Heat sesame oil until very hot, then add the rock samphire seeds and cashew nuts, fry for 30 seconds, then remove from oil and put aside.
  2. Add the dusted squid and cook until done. The flour mix includes sea salt, cracked black pepper, umami & ginger.
  3. Just before the end of cooking the squid add the sliced wild greens, rice vinegar, tamari/soya sauce, honey & finally the lemon juice.

Serves: 2

Pickled Rock Samphire

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.

Pickled Rock Samphire Recipe 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

Pickled Rock Samphire Recipe Instructions

  1. Remove Rock Samphire leaflets from main stems, and thinly slice the echalion shallots.
  2. Put the leaflets and shallots in cold salted water for 30 minutes. Make sure they are submerged.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Leave for at minimum a month, and preferably three. However one jar of mine didn’t last 24 hours and still tasted fantastic.