Sea asparagus (samphire) in a jar – Salicorne

Sea Asparagus from the Salt Marshes of Guérande

Sea asparagus, known as salicorne in French, is a crisp glasswort vegetable from the salt marshes of Guérande. L'Atelier du Sel harvests it wild by hand and pickles it in white wine vinegar—available in a jar all year round as a peppery alternative to capers and cornichons. Not a fresh product, but a pickled delicacy.

Sea asparagus (glasswort) is a wild-growing sea vegetable from the salty soils around the salt pans of Guérande, harvested where the famous salt is produced. For this jar, the paludiers of L'Atelier du Sel, the workshop of Morel et Le Chantoux, hand-pick the tender shoots, rinse them briefly, and pickle them in white wine vinegar with onions, coriander, and pepper.

On the plate, it remains salty, peppery, and crisp—the fleshy little stalks crunch like cornichons and taste of the sea. The French also call it "passe-pierre" and eat it as naturally as we reach for a pickle: straight from the jar. Those trying it for the first time are reminded of green beans with a sea breeze—and experience shows they are quick to go back for more.

Like capers, but with a sea breeze

Pickled sea asparagus replaces capers and cornichons wherever a salty, tangy accent is required.

It belongs alongside fish pâté and smoked salmon; it balances the richness of cheese in raclette and fondue. Chopped, it can be added to potato salad, used instead of a pickle on a burger or in a roulade—and served on a fish buffet next to a pinch of Fleur de Sel de Guérande.

You can only get fresh glasswort in midsummer and usually only at the coast. The jar brings it to your kitchen all year round—from barbecue season to the New Year's Eve buffet.

Salicornia grows where salt rules

Glasswort, botanically Salicornia europaea, is a salt-tolerant plant: it populates flooded, saline soils in mudflats and salt marshes where hardly anything else thrives.

Around the salt pans of L'Atelier du Sel in the Mès basin near Assérac, it grows wild between the clay pools. The same blend of Atlantic water, sun, and wind that gives Guérande salt its character also seasons the shoots—which is why the brine needs no extra salt; the sea asparagus brings its own.

In some places, by the way, it is called sea fennel or saltwort. Freshly harvested, glasswort is often blanched for 2 to 3 minutes and tossed in butter—the white wine vinegar version from the jar, however, is ready immediately. Pop the lid, and serve.

Hand-picked at Morel et Le Chantoux

Behind the jar is L'Atelier du Sel, the salt workshop founded by Gilles Morel and his nephew Matthieu Le Chantoux in 2014 in the Breton town of Saint-Molf, operating under the family name Morel et Le Chantoux.

Before pickling, every batch is sorted by hand; as Gilles and Matthieu emphasize, only firm, whole shoots make it into the jar. Their salt has carried the IGP origin seal since 2014, and the same care is applied to the products from the salt marshes. You can find all the workshop's specialties, from fine sea salt in a shaker to vegetable stock, collected at L'Atelier du Sel in our shop.

Drain, then add a drizzle of olive oil

Let the shoots drain briefly and just before serving, add a drizzle of good olive oil—no further preparation is needed. Once opened, the jar will keep well for two weeks if stored in the fridge at 4 to 7 degrees Celsius. Each jar contains 210 g, with a drained weight of 90 g—enough for two nights of raclette or a large buffet. And if there is any left over: the brine makes a great seasoning for a salad dressing.

Organic control body FR-BIO-01 – EU/non-EU agriculture

Contents 210 g – Drained weight 90 g