Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius
Salsify is a root vegetable that resembles long, thin parsnips. It is part of the Asteraceae (or sunflower) family, and produces a bright pink-purple, star-shaped flower for which it was originally cultivated in the UK, before people discovered the tastiness of its roots. Salsify has fallen out of favour a little since Victorian times, but perhaps unfairly so; it has delicate, creamy flesh with a subtle taste that has been compared to everything from oysters to asparagus to parsnips.
In the kitchen
How to store Salsify
Salsify should be firm and smooth and it often comes with the green tops still on. Keep it in a sealed container or it bag in the fridge and use within a week.
Prep & Cooking tips
Salsify can be peeled before or after cooking. If you peel it before, put it straight into water acidulated with a good squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of vinegar so that its flesh doesn't' discolour. Dice or slice it returning to the pieces to the acidulated water until you are ready to use them.
Although salsify can be grated or sliced very thinly and eaten raw, its flavour is best brought out by cooking.
Easy ideas
1. Boil
Depending on the thickness of your salsify, it will take between 20 and 45 minutes to cook, put into salted boiling water. You want it just tender so keep testing by inserting the tip of a sharp knife: it should meet no resistance. Salsify has a waxy bite and it's better well cooked than al dente. Add a dash of lemon juice and olive oil to the water to help keep its creamy colour.
To boil in its skin, soak the salsify for a few minutes in cold water then scrub it clean and top and tail it. Cut into even lengths and place it directly into a saucepan of cold salted water. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer until tender. Drain and cool in a bowl of cold water before peeling.
2. Fry
Grated raw salsify can be fried with no need to boil it first (see our Salsify Fritters recipe).
For crunchy chips to dip in a lemony mayonnaise, boil batons of salsify until tender, drain and leave in a colander to steam-dry, then coat with a light batter (45g plain flour, 1 teaspoon cornflour, 80ml cold water, salt and 2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda) and deep-fry at 180°C.
Alternatively, coat the boiled and drained salsify in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs, and deep-fry in the same way.
3. Braise
An alternative to boiling or roasting is to slow-cook salsify in the oven for a couple of hours with a little added moisture. It can also be added to a stew or braised: let it simmer away with all the other ingredients for the last 30-45 minutes, until tender.
Salsify recipes
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Sautéed salsify
Serves: 4 Total time: 30 min
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Saag & Salsify
Serves: 4 Total time: 30 min
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Salsify fritters
Serves: 4 Total time: 25 min
In the field
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Meet the grower: James Foskett , Woodbridge, Suffolk
James Foskett farms a rainbow of ten different organic vegetables, including green beans and peas, tasty sweetcorn cobs, bunched carrots, onions and radishes.
