Check out here some information on this wonderful coastal plant found on the Lancashire coasts.
Got it?
Good!
Now straight to the recipe. Sea aster lends itself to pickling because of its wonderful fleshy leaves that don’t disintegrate during cooking and pickling. For thi recipe you will need:
- Handful of sea aster leaves
- Pinch of salt
- 1 garlic clove
- Vinegar (all I had was Earl Grey Kombucha vinegar from a batch that I fermented for too long)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 200ml jar
- water
Method
To start, you need to clean your sea aster well from other greens and from the sand of the beach. Jut pass it carefully through running water. Now boil some water in a pot and add the sea aster.
The sea aster need to be blanched, not boiled, so leave for about 1 minute in the boiling water. Its colour will turn into a vivid green. Strain and run cold water on top of it.
In the pot mix the vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic clove
Pack the sea aster tightly into the jar and top off with the vinegar mixture, making sure that all the leaves are submerged.
The pickles should be ready in about a week and they should last in the fridge for up to a year.
You can then use them in potato salads, as an antipasto, or on top of fish.
Enjoy!
(Fer)mental Greens 