Samphire Salad
I’m having all the craic foraging this year. Wild garlic before. Some random nettles and a few herbs here and there this year. I’m feeling all proud of myself. I’m not doing too bad for a city girl. Basically I’m Bear Girl.
Anyhow my new adventure took me to Sandymount beach on Sunday. I was bringing salad along to a Sunday dinner get together and I fancied something a bit different. So I put on my short pants and my grotty walking boots and took to the sandy dunes just north of the Martello Tower. Splendid day and company was had which made the walk and foraging even more fun. Fiona knew exactly the right spot so it was all the easier for it. It was a great idea, even more satisfying for the fact that it was free and fresh. Cannot be beat. The rest of the ingredients were straight from the garden and all in all it was a great success!
Is there any samphire around your beaches? Next year I’ll be better organised and will get some of the rock samphire too. It’s got a much deeper flavour. It’s quite complex compared to the sea samphire. Both are delicious.
Ingredients:
Samphire; sugar snaps; tomatos; seeds; lemon juice, dijon mustard and toasted sesame seed oil. Black pepper.
Method:
Wash the samphire very well and remove the roots. Take your time as it can be quite sandy. Rinse it a good couple of times in some lemon water to remove all traces of dirt. Drain it well and pat it dry with some kitchen paper. Head and tail the sugar snaps and remove the hardened string of green along the side.Slice them finely (I like them cut diagonally because it’s pretty). Quarter some ripe cherry tomatos. Layer the 3 ingredients on your serving plate and sprinkle with the seeds of your choice.
For the dressing simply mix a teaspoon of mustard (dijon), the juice of a lemon and a similar amount of toasted sesame seed oil. Lots and lots of black pepper should be added if you can. Drizzle the dressing just before serving to preserve the crunch. Mmmm the crunch!
40 Comments
Great blog, Katia – glad I found you! Have never cooked with samphire and didn’t know I could get it just down the road from me on Sandymount strand. Will keep an eye out next time I’m there. I love the idea of foraging – makes so much sense – but haven’t been brave enough so far!
Cheers Niamh. If you’re on the strand, you’re going towards Booterstown when your back is to the Martello tower. You’ll find it towards the end of the beach. 🙂
This sounds such an incredibly fresh dish. Something that you’d turn to on a warmer day. Let you into a secret though… never heard of samphire until now. Jeez i must be so uncultured! X
Only came across it myself last year at the fishmongers and I’ve started foraging this year so this was a good excuse to go find some!
I’ve always wondered what samphire was – I’ve heard it lots on things like Masterchef but haven’t seen it in the supermarket yet!
You will probably see it at the fishmonger’s counter and it will be quite costly. Much more fun to go pick it yourself if you can!
I have never tried samphire! I’m from Norfolk and as I understand it there is lots of the stuff around the north Norfolk cost… I should really try it! looks delicious! xxx
And healthy! And free! And fun to do with the kids for sure 🙂 Let me know if you ever do!
I’m definitely not a salad girl but this looks amazing!! I may have to give it a go sometime when I decide to eat healthier! I have pinned it for future reference, thank you 🙂 x
Pleasure 🙂 Let me know if you ever do!
Wow this looks so vibrant and so colourful. I bed it tastes as nice as it looks too! I have not tried Samphire before but I certainly want to now!
Thanks Jenni 🙂
This sounds delicious. I love samphire and we usually pick it on our local beach. My Aunty used to pickle it for us as children and I have such great memories of that.
Hey Bek!
How did she pickle it? And how do you use it once it’s pickled? I’m always after new ideas! 🙂
I love that you went foraging for your dinner ingredients! I’ve never even picked berries for jam making or anything and I’m a country girl! Now I need to look up what samphire is 🙂
Ha! It’s a herb that grows on the beach. You can find it at your fish mongers but it costs a fortune 🙂 I love foraging. You can find some mad stuff out there!
It’s a very pretty looking salad. I’ve always had samphire with fish before, but I like the idea of using it in a salad.
It is lovely indeed with fish alright!
Oh yum who new you could find stuff on the beach I definitely keeping an eye out next time I out for a walk. I do know i can get wild garlic in my local woods as you can smell it a mile off. love your pic of salad it looks so scrummy
Cheers Gemma. I’m mad for the wild garlic too. Hopefully going to go get some berries during the week in some local woods!
This year I had my first foraging and came back with wild garlic and it really is delicious. I have never in my live heard of Samphire! I must try some.
I adore wild garlic! Hoping to go look for some blueberries this week!
Well I have never heard of Samphire before. I have probably seen it but never thought it would be edible. The salad looks very tempting and fresh. I have been tempted to forage for wild garlic before today as the smell is wonderful when walking in the woods
I love love wild garlic! I go to St Anne’s park to get some when it’s season. Here’s what I do with it: https://www.properfood.ie/2015/03/14/wild-garlic-the-essence-of-spring/
Wow thats so inventive, I would never think to look outside for food like that, I’m not educated enough to be sure I wouldn’t poison myself!
I did a bit of research before hand. Google is great all the same!
I’ve never heard of samphire salad before! Yum! Book marked this page. Sounds and looks amazing!! This will certainly be a new healthy dish for me and my weight loss journey. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks Sarah! 🙂
Mmm, this sounds absolutely delicious. I’m looking at switching back to a much healthier diet from tomorrow though so definitely going to give this a try!!
Louise x
With love from Lou
Thanks Lou. I’m forever wanting to eat healthier too so feel free to share your tips 🙂
I havent tried this but looks great and definately something to try.
Thanks Emma!
We’re keen foragers but we don’t live close to any beaches unfortunately.I think this year will have to be the year we go to the coast when it’s not the summer.
What do you normally forage for Aly?
This sounds fantastic, i would love to try it. Sounds so fresh on a lovely warm summers day. Hopefully we get some more hot days as I would love to try this with a nice BBQ.
I know there is a lot of food I’ve never heard about, but this one just has a lovely name you would of never thought it was food or even an edible item! I’m not a fan of tomatoes at all, I wonder if beetroot would work well with the dish? I’m also a lover of cheese, I can’t eat a salad without some salad cream and grated cheese! Oh now this is making me hungry! x
Beetroot will work a treat but stay off the cheese as it would be way too salty for it!
How simple, but I bet it’s really tasty. I would eat it for sure
I have never heard of samphire and we have dozens of beaches nearby! This looks such a delicious dish – i am amazed actually! Kaz x
Ah Kaz, go found some. Bet pickle will enjoy that!
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