Gathering Samphire

What is Samphire?

Samphire is a plant that grows close to salt water. It normally comes in 2 different forms which are rock samphire and marsh samphire, though there are several species of the plant.

Also known as sea asparagus, sea pickle, and sampkin, the plant grows across most of Europe and Central Asia, as well as parts of North and Central America, and is normally found in abundance in marshes.

Where to find it

Rock Samphire

This type normally grows within shelves on cliffs and can also be found in rock walls close to the sea. It doesn’t really care about a soil type but as the name suggests, does grow on rocks in areas of high salt concentration in the air which is why it’s normally only found right next to the sea. The safest place to gather it from would be to find an old wall along the beach or a gently sloping rock face. The plant does often grow on the very top of the cliff line but gathering from such an area can be hazardous.

There are plenty of coastal paths that run along the tops of cliff faces, especially in south to mid-Wales that contain the plant, but where ever you choose don’t go risking your safety for a quick snack. Generally in the UK rock samphire can be found starting in Suffolk and then moving round the country clockwise to about northeast Scotland, with a gap spanning the rest where the plant only appears rarely in patches.

Marsh Samphire

This type can be found in saltwater marsh areas and generally grows in huge patches. The best place to look is estuaries, which is the part of the river that meets the sea and experiences tidal flooding across low-laying areas when the tide comes in.

The plant can’t live in the sand alone but does quite well in a combination of sand and soil mixed, or the smooth-looking mud that forms near tidal rivers. The general rule for this plant is if you find a little, you find a lot, but the one thing to be careful of is if your walking through tidal mud you could sink and get stuck at any point, so make sure you stick to the firmer looking ground and don’t go too far away from where the mud meets the land.

(Marsh Samphire can be found in huge patches, but is often in dangerous tidal or muddy areas)

Gathering Samphire

The only part of the plant you should gather is thin, straight, and green stalks that come off the main stem. The stem and the roots are edible but don’t taste very nice and the main stalk can get quite woody when they get to a larger size.

The plant snaps off very easily or you can just cut right through it with your fingernail, meaning no tools are required.

Cooking Samphire

The best way to cook samphire is to boil it. simply give it a quick rinse, get some salt water boiling, and drop it right in. It’ll take about 2 to 3 minutes to cook and should be treated like asparagus, it’s at its best when it’s soft all the way through, but isn’t too limp and floppy.

After boiling, strain and put in a bowl and mix with some salt and butter and serve “as is”.

If you want to cook it into a dish then add it right at the end as it always cooks very fast, and if left in too long will go mushy and lose its flavor. To fry samphire it only takes 3 or 4 minutes, or until it’s soft all the way through and has just started to go golden brown.

Cooking Samphire the bushcraft way

If you have the option to boil it in something that would be preferable, but without the use of any tools putting it straight onto the ashes or in the flames wouldn’t work too well.

The best thing to do is to split a stick halfway down and tie a lashing, such as a root or strip of nettle around the bottom of the split to stop it from going any further, then lay the stick down and open the split, laying the bottom end of pieces of samphire along the middle. Then close it and tie a strip of lashing around the top to make sure the samphire is gripped tightly and won’t drop out during cooking.

Then simply place the stick next to the fire at the appropriate angle so it’s not in direct flame and give it about 10 minutes. It’s ready when it’s nice and soft all the way through, and served with whatever else happens to be lying around.