Chef Discovers Coastal Wild Herb, Praises Its Unique Flavors
Translated & summarized from Calcalist by baba
Chef Amos Shion is highlighting the unique flavors of sea fennel, a wild coastal plant he forages for his restaurant Helena in Caesarea. The plant's leaves are described as tasting like carrot and its flowers like petroleum, with a salty, bitter, and anise-like profile. Sea fennel has a history of culinary and medicinal use in Europe and is currently in season, with Shion advising on responsible foraging practices.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Chef Amos Shion is featuring the wild coastal plant sea fennel in his dishes at the Helena restaurant.
- Sea fennel leaves are described as tasting like carrot, while the flowers have a petroleum-like flavor.
- The plant, also known as Kritamon Yamí, grows on Israeli coastal cliffs and has a salty, bitter taste.
- Sea fennel has historical culinary uses in Europe and was historically used to prevent scurvy.
- Chef Shion advises on responsible foraging, recommending cutting rather than uprooting the plant.
- The plant's season is ending, making it a good time to pickle its leaves.
Chef Amos Shion has discovered the culinary potential of sea fennel, a wild plant that grows on coastal cliffs in Israel. Shion, who runs the highly regarded restaurant Helena in the ancient port of Caesarea, describes the plant's fleshy, long leaves and its green, yellow-tinged flower clusters. He has been foraging for the plant for several years, incorporating it into new dishes annually. Shion serves the pickled leaves with tuna, noting they are more interesting than capers, and describes the fresh leaves as tasting like carrot and the flower like petroleum. Sea fennel, known in Hebrew as "Kritamon Yamí" and in English as sea fennel, is also found among the ancient stones of archaeological sites. Its season is ending, making it a timely ingredient to pickle. Wild herb expert Yatir Sadeh, one of Shion's mentors, confirms the plant's unique characteristics, attributing its salty, bitter, and slightly anise-like flavor to its harsh coastal environment. Sadeh notes its historical use in Europe for seafood dishes, as a seasoning for gin in England, and as a garnish with ouzo in Greece. Historically, it was also used to combat scurvy due to its vitamin C content and for various medicinal purposes. Shion advises foraging with care, using scissors or a knife to avoid uprooting the plant, and suggests seeking out specimens in shaded areas to prevent drying out. He also mentions that the flower clusters can be pickled or dried and used like fennel seeds. Shion also forages for other coastal plants like saltwort and ice plant. The article includes a recipe for pickling sea fennel leaves.