Sea Bean Salad Recipe
You don’t have to know how to fillet a fish or shuck an oyster to eat sustainably from the sea. Sea Beans are a salty green you can forage from your local shoreline and enjoy on your plate.
Sea beans are halophytes, meaning they only grow in salty environments. They are found growing upright in dense clusters along coastal waters and even inland along the banks of salt marshes. Sea Beans are succulents with thin, round and fleshy, multi-segmented stems that can reach up to 30 centimeters tall. The preferred portions of the plant are the tender, green tops and branches, as the lower portions can get tough. Sea Beans are crisp and crunchy with an intensely salty flavor, which can be muted with cooking.
SEA BEANS ARE HIGH IN PROTEIN, WITH ROUGHLY 20 GRAMS PER ONE CUP PORTION. THE SEA VEGETABLE IS ALSO A GOOD SOURCE OF VITAMIN A, CALCIUM AND IRON.
Sea Beans are best when either served raw or lightly blanched. Sea Beans can be added raw to green salads or pasta salads. Sea Beans will intensify the aroma and taste of seafood. Add Sea Beans to stir-frys or lightly sauté with garlic and lemon for a simple side dish. Substitute Sea Beans for green or yellow wax beans – just be mindful of their already salty flavor. Lightly blanched Sea Beans are pickled to preserve and enhance the lightly salty flavor. The briny pickled flavor of Sea Beans pairs well with fish and crab, or smoked salmon lox. Pair pickled Sea Beans with sharp cheeses and cured meats, ham or salami. The pickled sea vegetable can be used like a cornichon or gherkin on crudité platters.
Store your haul in the refrigerator, wrapped in a damp paper towel, and then in plastic; it stores well for about a week this way. If it starts to get a little limp, just refresh it in an ice water bath, which will come in handy for cooking, too. Blanched Sea Beans can be frozen and kept for up to a month.
SEA BEAN SALAD RECIPE
Sea beans are a perfect salad green. Mostly gathered along salt marshes, this plant is naturally salty and very crunchy. I prefer it boiled for 30 to seconds, then shocked in ice water: This removes some of the salt, and sets that pretty jade color. You can then eat the sea beans as-is, or quickly stir-fry or pickle them. This is a simple sea bean salad, dressed with really good olive oil, chile, garlic and a little lemon juice. A crumbly cheese like feta or a Mexican cotija adds some richness.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time1 min
Total Time16 mins
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
INGREDIENTS
1 pound sea beans
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil, use high quality oil here
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta or Mexican cotija cheese
Lemon or lime juice to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the sea beans for 1 minute. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool. Let them rest a few minutes. Lay out a tea towel or other cloth towel. Pick through the sea beans to remove any stray bits of seaweed, and to remove any discolored bits or woody bottoms. Use only the top 2-5 inches of the plant. Lay the cleaned sea beans on the towel to dry.
Pat the sea beans dry and toss with everything but the lemon juice. Add lemon juice until the salad is as tangy as you like it. Serve cold or at room temperature. This will keep in the fridge for a couple days.