Seafennel – rock samphire

The plant grows on the cliffs and rocks at the edge of the sea and is best picked fresh before May, when the leaves are plump and full of juice, as it loses a lot of flavors once it blossoms. When lightly crushed it releases salty, tangy, balsamic taste notes with hints of sea.

We pick our sea fennel by hand, from steep desolate cliffs as described by Shakespeare in King Lear: “Half-way down, Hangs one that gathers samphire;”

In Dubrovnik, it is often said that Seafennel tastes like Bura, the northern wind of the Adriatic, smells.​