While cruising the beautiful waters of British Columbia, we’ve long noticed the green, string-looking plant known as sea asparagus that grows wild along the many tidal shores that we explore. Last summer, our cruising buddy Chris Troutner pointed out that the plant is edible and it took us until recently when we saw it as a prepared salad in the grocery store in Campbell River to finally harvest and make it on our own.

Apparently, sea asparagus only has a 6-week harvest period (all of June and early July) and, conveniently, we’re in it. In the fall it turns from a vivid green to a reddish brown.

Last week, Jill and Porter went ashore and picked a bunch of the asparagus in the Pearse Islands (Broughton Archipelago) and we tried out this fantastic recipe. The asparagus has a salty flavor with a nice crisp that makes it a tasty green to add to your meals. Jill and I enjoyed it and both boys ate every bit that was on their plates. Give it a try!

Sea Asparagus Grilled Salad

Ingredients:

1 Cup mixed bell peppers sliced 1 inch wide

1 Cup fresh sea asparagus

2 Ripe peaches or nectarines

2 Tsp. olive oil

1 Tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 Tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of Oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat the the BBQ to medium. Coat the peppers and peaches/nectarines [whole] in 1 tsp. of olive oil and season with salt. Place on the grill . Put the sea asparagus on a foil sheet and drizzle with the other tsp. of olive oil. Wrap in the foil and place on the grill for 10 minutes. Cook the peppers and peaches/nectarines for 10-15 minutes until done. Slice the peach/nectarine into bite sized pieces. Place in a bowl with the peppers and sea asparagus. Toss together with the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, oregano, salt and white pepper.

This recipe was adapted from westcoastseaweed.com