Sluttishly Savoury: Crayfish and Samphire Salad with Chilli and Lemon

This recipe came about in a rather strange way. I've always misheard people when they're talking about samphire (I blame the guy with the Aussie accent on Masterchef). For years I thought it was called sandfire, and so I've never been able to find it. So until recently, I'd never tried it. Then that lovely guy Marky Market promised me he'd pick some up from Billingsgate market for me (he'll pick up anything for you if you as him nicely).

Samphire, for those of you who haven't tried it, is best described as a kind of 'sea asparagus'. Salty and crunchy. Interesting. Not so strong that you lose the flavour of everything else. I made this salad for a party recently. I had a bit of a hangover and it only took five minutes. You'll impress everyone with your culinary skills without losing too much sofa time.

You'll need:

• 300g crayfish tails
• two large handfuls of samphire
• handful of king prawns
• salad leaves
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 red chilli
• juice of one lemon
• large drizzle of olive oil

Make it!

• Rince the samphire under cold water - it's too salty otherwise.
• Mix with the salad leaves and red onion
• Throw in the crayfish and king prawns
• To make the dressing, just chop up the chilli and add to the lemon juice and olive oil.
• Toss the salad, pop back in the fridge for an hour or so whilst you have a nap.

Flickr image from me'nthedogs' photostream.