Sea kale with capers, rosemary, parsley and cream

Spring

Sea kale is a lovely plant with an equally lovely name. You’ll find it growing wild on remote, windswept beaches but you can also grow it from seed, at home in your garden. In the spring, sea kale produces exceptionally tender stems and leaves that require little cooking. A little later in the year, broccoli-like spears can be cut too. It’s one of my favourite coastal plants with a most wonderful bittersweet flavour.

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 large bunch of sea kale, tender stems and leaves, plus broccoli heads if available
1 small knob of unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
1 small red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced, or 1 pinch of chilli flakes
1 rosemary sprig
75ml (2¼fl oz) double cream
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
1 tbsp chopped chives
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

I like to steam the sea kale for this dish. It helps keep the flavour in the plant rather than letting it transfer to the boiling water. You can make your own steamer by rigging up a large colander or sieve over a pan of simmering water and popping a lid of sorts over the top. Alternatively, simple steamers are relatively inexpensive and are quite a useful piece of kit to have in the kitchen.

When the water’s boiling, add the kale and place a lid on the steamer. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until tender.

While the kale is steaming, make the simple sauce. Set a small pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil and when it’s bubbling away add the garlic, capers, chilli and rosemary. Let everything sizzle away for about 1 minute or so, but don’t let the garlic burn. Pour in the cream and bring to the simmer, then stir in the herbs and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the steamed sea kale between two warmed plates and spoon over the sauce before bringing to the table.

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