Norfolk week: Buttered Norfolk samphire
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
I remember trying samphire last year on my summer visit to Norfolk and I haven’t got it out of my brain since. I got mine from the little fish hut on the quay at Wells-Next-The-Sea – it came in a huge bag for a bargainous £2. Samphire has a very short season, which is around late June until the end of July. I can’t find any nutritional information about samphire, but I think it’s quite high in iron.
If you haven’t tried it before, I can only describe the texture as like spaghetti, it’s very smooth and salty to boot. Here’s my recipe with a pinch more flavour, but it’s still good with plain ol’ butter.
17mins – Prep time: 5mins – Cooking time: 12mins
{Serves 2 as a sidedish}
Ingredients
- 200g samphire
- 4 rashers bacon
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely chopped
- 3tbsp butter
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Black pepper to taste
You’ll need a steamer for this!
Ingredients
- Cut roots from samphire and any brown looking stalks as these are hard to chew once cooked.
- Cut the excess fat from the bacon rashers and then cut into small pieces.
- Steam the samphire for 8 minutes. Whilst it’s cooking, heat 1tbsp butter with the olive oil on a high heat and fry the bacon for a couple of minutes, then add in the garlic. Continue frying until the bacon starts to become crispy.
- Once the samphire is cooked, add it to the pan with the remaining butter and fry for a couple of minutes.
- Finally, add the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
