Sea Vegetable
Samphire
Samphire is a coastal succulent—mainly marsh samphire (Salicornia) and rock samphire (Crithmum)—eaten as a crisp, salty green with fish and salads. Though a flowering plant rather than a seaweed, it is the classic European “sea vegetable” of shores and marsh edges. Briefly blanched or sautéed; naturally high in salt so season lightly.
Also known as: Samphire, Salicorne / Pousse-pierre, Zeekraal, Sea Beans / Salicornia
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History
Atlantic European coasts foraged samphire as a seasonal salty green with seafood.
English cookery texts praised samphire pickled and fresh as a shore delicacy.
Marsh samphire harvesting continued as a regional specialty in Europe and beyond.
Restaurant demand revived cultivated and wild samphire on fine-dining seafood menus.