Sea beans

Classic Seattle June weather this weekend. 58 and raining--what a perfect day for the market! Despite the dreary drizzle, I was not alone in my persistence. The market was bustling with people and vendors alike, decked out in our Seattle parkas or hiding underneath temporary tarp roofs. Apparently there is sun somewhere, because the beautiful produce displayed obviously needs more than just water to do its magic.

This week's treasures included a flat of amazingly sweet yet tart strawberries, more of our favorite Miner's Lettuce, and the newcomer, sea beans! Also known as samphire, salicornia, and glasswort, sea beans are not beans at all, but they are common along both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts. Although it has found relative obscurity in modern times, samphire apparently has had its day in the limelight throughout history. It went through a big pickling craze in England at one point, and the Greeks and the Romans also mention "steaming it lightly to be used as a vegetable." The 2-3 inch long "leaves" look more like green twigs, and the 1/2 pound that I bought from my favorite guy at "Found and Foraged" appeared to be an intimidating, spindly mess. Although the advice I got at the market was to blanch it and then serve it with or as a salad, after a bite of the raw sea beans I decided to forgo the whole cooking thing and just try it raw. The tender green shoots were wonderfully crispy and crunchy. When first biting into it, I tasted a slight grassy sweetness which was suddenly followed by a bright burst of salt. Unlike anything I've ever had before, it seemed to just call out for some asian-fishy thing. So that's what I did. Below you'll find the recipe for the sea beans, which I served with grilled black cod (also slathered with Trader Joes' Miso Mesquite sauce) and rice.

Asian-Inspired Sea Bean Salad

2 bell peppers, one red and one orange
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Miso Mesquite sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 bunch chopped green onions, white parts only
1/2 lb. sea bean

Grill or broil peppers until blackened on all sides. Sweat inside a plastic bag for at least 10 minutes, then peel and remove stems and seeds. Cut into thin, julienned strips and set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl. Thoroughly wash sea beans and add to bowl, along with peppers. Toss all ingredients together and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving (do not salt!).