Sea purslane (halimione)

Halimione portulacoides

leaf

Small, silvery, thick and salty leaves, eaten raw or added at the end of cooking like a plant salt.

Origin

Atlantic and North Sea coasts

Where to find it

In the salt marshes of the Bay of the Somme, Mont-Saint-Michel and Arcachon, along the channels; a few gatherers in the Bay of the Somme sell it to restaurants and at markets, with samphire.

Season (United States)

April to October

Preparation

The leaves are pulled from the stems, rinsed and eaten raw; the dish needs no salt. Its oxalates leach into water: boiling it and throwing the water out takes a good share with it.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · ChlorophyllWhat slows things down Oxalates

Did you know?

It is not a purslane: it is an orache of the salt marshes, a cousin of spinach.