I began my love affair with samphire purely by accident. I received it as a gift from a market fresh produce delivery company called Solstice. They used to have a handy little webshop that had almost everything gastronimic you could imagine. It was good enough to negate a trip to Borough Market and it's droves of food gawkers.
When I opened the punnet I was intrigued by the look of samphire. I took a bite of it raw and was completely hooked. Samphire is a coastal plant that grows in the sea marsh. Samphire has vibrant green stalks, akin to baby asparagus. In the states samphire is called sea bean. so seek it out! It has wonderfully crisp and fresh sea taste. I love it raw and lightly cooked.
This is a super speedy meal that gives the taste of dining alfresco next to the sea.
Clam Crab & Samphire Pasta
Serves 4
500g clams, washed thoroughly
125ml white wine
50ml olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 dried chilli, crushed
1 lemon, zested
200g crab meat, picked
50g fresh samphire
500g spaghetti (Fresh or Dried)
Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and reserve.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Add the garlic & chilli and cook until fragrant. Add the clams and white wine. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, steam for 3-4 minutes until all the clams have opened. Discard any clams that have not opened.
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Add the lemon zest, samphire and crab meat. Cook for a minute more until the crab is warmed through.
Add the cooked spaghetti toss together for a moment. Add a squeeze of lemon and serve.
