Now, what? Fish ... and found a gorgeous looking pair of tuna pieces. Perfect!
Sometimes known as glasswort or sea asparagus, samphire, a corruption of Saint Peter the patron Saint of Fishermen, is a vegetable that grows in the marshes along seaside river estuaries.
Beginning their growth season in the autumn and continuing through the winter until the start of the warm season*, whether sautéed, steamed or blanched, samphire is perfectly seasonal and such a treat for eating with simple seafood.
Nutritionally, samphire is packed with goodness - strong in iodine and in vitamins A, C, B2 and B15, amino acids and minerals, such as iron, calcium and particularly magnesium. Tuna, a predatory fish, lean, good protein, selenium and vitamins B6 and B12.
Worried about the mercury content of top feeders? Don't be ...
Is eating fish safe? A lot safer than not eating fish!
So, I have my fish and my samphire ... it just needs bulking up a little and we've got a meal.
Butternut squash filled in the gap. Peeled, cubed and roasted in goose fat (or your favourite paleo fat) for about 30 minutes. The tuna and the samphire take no time at all to cook, so once the squash is cooked enough, griddle on ... griddle the tuna, and steam through the samphire just a little to warm but retain all that gorgeous crunch. Raw would be perfectly good, just trim off any thicker bits that might be too woody.
Put together and garnish with chilli and coriander leaves.
* What a lovely winter we're having this spring! We're still at sub-zeros overnight and low single figures during the day and it was snowing again this evening. Joy.
