Sea Asparagus

This salty delicacy will be found wherever sea kayakers lurk. Carpeting the water’s edge on mud flats, sheltered coves and estuaries, sea asparagus prefers limited exposure to wave action. Sea asparagus has more aliases than its segmented stems have branches, being known variously as glasswort, pickleweed, samphire and pigeon foot. In the camp kitchen sea asparagus is versatile. Stems can be munched upon as is, used to perk up salads, presented like asparagus or even collected for pickling or freezing. A British Columbia company has developed a market for sea asparagus, shipping the frozen product to upscale restaurants worldwide. Soak sea asparagus in freshwater for several hours before preparing to reduce its salinity.

Illustration by Manami Kimura