This crunchy sea bean (AKA samphire) salad recipe is balanced with crisp cucumbers and peppers, garnished with sliced green onions and tossed with a lime vinaigrette.
I do not recommend salting anything in this recipe. The sea beans are salty enough as is and you will want plenty of cucumbers & peppers to go along with it's salty taste and crunchy texture.
"Sea Beans" are not beans at all but a crunchy, salty, and sprawling succulent that grows on salt marshes, beaches, and mangroves. It's also called sea asparagus, saltwort, or samphire.
Sea beans look like seaweed but belong to the Salicorniacea family, commonly known as Amaranths. They are halophytes (I used to work in the field of natural resources and botany so I have to use these words while I still remember them!), which mean they grow in water with high salt contents. We are in Charleston so it's native here and also being sold at Whole Foods right now.
When you initially slice the red pepper, remove the white membranes that run from the top from the bottom. They are bitter.
Blanching means to throw in hot water for limited time and cool down fast in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This retains color and keeps them crunchier.
Take the seeds out of the cucumber by slicing whole cucumber lengthwise and running a small teaspoon down the middle.
Slice green onions on the bias. This means diagonally It looks fancier and creates more surface area.
PLEASE NOTE - The nutritional is run with asparagus as a substitute. Sea beans are not an option in the database that I use and so the salt nutritional and micronutrients are off.
Serving Suggestion
Serve this sea bean salad dish with a complementary recipe like:
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Things In My Kitchen:
- 5.5 quart over the sink colander - Perfect for any straining/draining. Big, expandable, non-slip grips, and don't touch the bottom of the sink.
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Sea Bean Salad w/ Lime Vinaigrette
EatSimpleFood.com
This crunchy sea bean (AKA samphire) salad recipe is balanced with crisp cucumbers and peppers, garnished with sliced green onions and tossed with a lime vinaigrette.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Coastal
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- ½ lb sea beans (also known as sea asparagus or samphire)
- 1 small cucumber, diced
- 1 small red pepper, diced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 large lime, zested and juiced
- 3 tablespoon e.v. olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- red pepper flakes to taste - optional for spice
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Blanch sea beans ~ 30 seconds, strain, and place in a bowl of ice water. You want them to retain a little crunch and bring out their vibrant color, while also trying to unload some of the salt from the beans to the water. Strain
and dry with a paper towel. Place in a bowl
- Seed and dice the cucumber (leave the skin on for more color and crunch), dice the red pepper, and slice the green onions. Add to bowl of sea beans.
- Make the vinaigrette. Zest and juice the lime and toss both in small bowl. Add mustard and whisk in the oil and red pepper flakes. Toss the salad with the vinaigrette and add red pepper flakes to taste. Happy Eating! Beckie
and dry with a paper towel. Place in a bowlNotes
- When you initially slice the red pepper, remove the white membranes that run from the top from the bottom. They are bitter.
- Blanching means to throw in hot water for limited time and cool down fast in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. This retains color and keeps them crunchier.
- Take the seeds out of the cucumber by slicing whole cucumber lengthwise and running a small spoon down the middle.
- Slice green onions on the bias. This means diagonally It looks fancier and creates more surface area.
- PLEASE NOTE - The nutritional is run with asparagus as a substitute. Sea beans are not an option in the database that I use and so the salt nutritional and micronutrients are off.
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