| Description |
Samphire, Rock Samphire, or Sea Fennel is a genus of edible wild plants in the Apiaceae (Carrot) family that grow on the rocky coasts of Britain, North Africa, the Canary Islands, and the Black Sea. Historically foraged, it can be cultivated in rock gardens with light, well-draining soil that has some gravel mixed in. Rock Samphire is distinct from Marsh Samphire (Salicornia bigelovii), a separate, unrelated species, which looks like tiny asparagus shoots and grows along tidal creeks and estuaries. Rock Samphire self-sows and has fleshy, divided, aromatic leaves that have a salty, pleasant, hot and spicy taste. Fresh young leaves are harvested and used in dishes with seafood, eggs, or beans, pickled, or added to salads. Older growth becomes stringy and woody.
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