Something Fishy with Simon Rhodes of the  Lobster Pot Fishmongers, Wood Street Food Hall, Swindon

OFTEN referred to as the asparagus of the sea, samphire is commonly found around our shoreline, especially in Norfolk and the West Country.

Though there are two types of samphire - marsh and rock - only marsh samphire is widely available.

Marsh samphire has vibrant green stalks, similar to baby asparagus, with a distinctively crisp and salty taste.

It can be used raw in salad, though it tends to be very salty so it is more often boiled or steamed for a few minutes, and it is at its best in July and August.

Rock samphire has a rather unpleasant smell and flavour and is more commonly found pickled in jars and sold in delis and specialist food shops.

Marsh samphire should be washed before eating as it quite salty. To cook it simply boil or steam it and then add a little lemon, butter and black pepper to give it a unique flavour that compliments fish so well.

It is also a wonderful accompaniment to salads and contains high levels of iron, vitamins and calcium.

In short, it is extremely good for you and completely natural – it was used to combat scurvy many years ago by sailors.

I have found that in recent year’s samphire has become very popular among our customers, maybe due to the fact that many television chefs use it more often these days to enhance the flavours of fish dishes.

Samphire is a regular feature on our display and we welcome anyone to come in and sample some.

Why not give it a go? Who knows, you may walk out the shop a lot healthier than when you came in –especially if you have scurvy!