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How to cook samphire

How to cook samphire

Lulu Grimes

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Read our guide to preparing and cooking fresh samphire. This salty marine vegetable is delicious when cooked in butter and added to seafood and pasta dishes.

Although there are two types of samphire – marsh and rock – only marsh samphire is widely available fresh. Rock samphire has an unpleasant smell when it's fresh, and was traditionally pickled to get rid of this. Marsh samphire is a succulent halophyte (a plant that grows in salt water), with vibrant green fleshy stalks and finger-like leaves. It has a distinctively crisp and salty flavour.

Buy samphire as you need it, because it doesn't keep for long. Wrap it tightly, and refrigerate for not longer than a few days if bought loose. It’s at the height of its season from May to August. Find it on fish counters in supermarkets and at fish shops.

How best to prepare samphire

Samphire can be used raw in salad if it's rinsed well, but because it tends to be very salty, it's more often cooked – either briefly fried in butter, for a couple of minutes in simmering water, or in a steamer for a few minutes. Whatever you do, don’t add any more salt to the water.

Samphire has such a distinctive texture and taste that it doesn’t need any more flavours adding to it. Instead, think of it as a flavour to add to dishes – as well as accompanying fish and seafood, it goes well with lamb and in citrusy salads. You can also use it as an interesting drinks garnish for a gin and tonic.