Salt of the earth

Rich in important nutrients, sea purslane can be used in a great variety of dishes. John Wright reassesses its appeal

- John Wright

I have written at length about sea purslane twice before, on both occasions dismissively treating it as an ‘also-ran’ in the wild food stakes. But fashion and food science move on, so this time I will not be damning it with faint praise: sea purslane is rich in healthendowing nutrients and is useful in many dishes.

Sea purslane is a plant that lives just above the tidal zone in estuarine habitats, notably saltmarshes. Here, it can grow in vast, sinuous, grey-green carpets. It can and must tolerate levels of salt, since ‘just above the tidal zone’ is very salty, with exceptionally high tides and serious wave action.

The plant achieves the difficult trick of salt management using sugars and other biochemicals that act as osmolytes. These allow the plant to absorb water without also retaining too much of the salt. Still, a single bite of a leaf will reveal that it is still a very salty plant, though less so in the spring leaves.

Sea purslane grows in suitable habitats around Britain, with the notable exception of Scotland, where it is rare. It is a straggling shrub that is perennially in leaf, and rarely grows to more than a foot or so.

The leaves are noticeably succulent, a pale grey-green and oval with tapering towards the stem. The grey, dull appearance is due to a matt texture ornamented with thousands of tiny holes. This and the succulence are strategies for reducing the loss of hard-won water in a highly desiccating environment.

What’s in a name?