Wild Sea Beet Salad

Since Beltane (30th April-1st May) the plants have gone bonkers. I’m harvesting wild edible plants to pickle, ferment, cordial and some-such before they go over and past their prime. You gotta reap while Mama Gaia is giving forth her abundance. For this wild salad recipe, I kidnapped a young local girl and encouraged her to come up with this creation…

…and boy does it work!…

Lucienne (a local disillusioned 30 something chef), was minding her own business having a quiet drink in my local boozer, when in walks this cocky forager in one one of his fancy shirts. Loud and proud as they say (I’ll be damned if I’m giving up the ghost just because I’m touching 50. I’m mean come on guys, get proud of yourselves, most of you middle-aged men look a shambles. Flip your finger at fashion, develop style… there’s a difference!).

Anyway, having wooed her to come out with me to the estuary for some ‘Wild Time’ ( the art of slowing down to sense landscape more acutely in order to create recipe ideas & be inspired. Not as someone thought recently meaning a feral bonk in the wilds. Sorry to disappoint.).

We ended up with 9 wild estuary greens:- sea aster, sea purslane, sea arrowgrass, seabeet, sea plantain, alexanders, black mustard, wild fennel, curly dock. Next it was back to the scruffians kitchen to create on the fly wild food recipes. Welcome to Lucienne’s estuary inspired imaginarium… and enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 3 large handfuls of very young sea beet (either whole or sliced)
  • 2 large handfuls of oxeye daisy leaves (chopped finely)
  • 2 ripe avocados (diced)
  • 1 tin of green olives (whole)
  • 1 lime (scrap the zest off)
  • 1/2 pineapple (diced)
  • dressed with magnolia vinegar & cold pressed organic rape seed oil.

Rape seed oil “…has a balance of Omega 3,6 and 9 fatty acids, is a good source of Vitamin E and has one of the lowest amounts of saturated fat of any culinary oil. 6 times more Omega 3 fatty acids and more vitamin E than Extra Virgin Olive Oil.” (source: Clearspring)

Suggested Method

  1. Wash the seabeet, spin dry and put in large salad bowl.
  2. Dice the pineapple, removing any of the outer skin and bristles. Add to salad bowl.
  3. Chop or shred the oxeye daisy leaves. Add to salad bowl along with the diced avocado.
  4. Add the olives, then and the lime zest, magnolia vinegar and rapeseed oil.
  5. Salt and pepper, then shuffle the salad to mix everything together.
  6. Allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Serves: 3 people