Pickled Rock Samphire Recipe

I love, love, love Rock Samphire (Crithmum martimum) though it has taken me a while to get used to it. When I first tried it, having plucked it off the rocks on the south coast of Cornwall I just thought it tasted 'unusual'. Fifteen years later I understand and appreciate it's complex flavour more and I know when and how to harvest and use it.

Pickled rock samphire is a traditional way of preserving this vitamin C rich plant. You can alter the spices you add, so please use the recipe below as a guideline only. This wild Rock Samphire pickle recipe means you can eat this plant throughout the year - pickles are brilliant in that way. Enjoy it with cheese, cold meat or fish boards, or with freshly cooked fish.

The Recipe

A simple way to preserve and enjoy this coastal wild food and it will only take you 10 minutes to make!

Makes 500 ml

Ingredients

• 100 g rock samphire
• 1/2 lemon, sliced and cut into wedges
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 1 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp black pepper seeds
• Pinch of salt
• 225 ml white wine vinegar
• 225 ml water

Wash the rock samphire and snip off any fibrous ends. In a medium saucepan place all the ingredients and slowly heat until steaming. Simmer for a couple of minutes then pour into the jar, seal and leave to cool. Once cold, store in a refrigerator for a couple of weeks and store for up to 6 months.

Other Rock Samphire Recipes

Take a look at my Rock Samphire Salsa Verde recipe, or I cook it simply in my Wild Food Foraging book. If you'd like to keep up to date with what I'm foraging, cooking and teaching, why not join one of my foraging courses, or follow me on facebook or instagram.

Related posts:

Rock Samphire Salsa Verde Summer Foraging Memories Wild Singing - Rock Samphire Verse 8 Edible Umbellifers