Bay of Somme salt marsh lamb

Prés-salés de la baie de Somme

What it is

The lambs must graze the mollières, salt marshes of the Somme and Authie bays that the sea covers at least 50 days a year, for 75 days or more, and they are relatively old at slaughter: 135 days to a year, with a carcass of 16 kg minimum. The specification credits the effort of grazing halophytes such as puccinellia across soft, channel-cut ground for heavy but not plump lambs with firm white fat and deep rose-pink, juicy meat.

In the kitchen

Buy it between June and January, the only months the AOP meat is on sale. Salt lightly and late, roast the leg to pink and give it a long rest, then serve it with samphire or sea purslane sautéed in butter.

Goes with

Samphire Sea purslane Flageolet Potato Butter Garlic Thyme Shallot

Same species

Pauillac lamb Salt marsh lamb Sisteron lamb Lamb fries Barèges-Gavarnie mutton Lamb brain

In season alongside

Mont-Saint-Michel salt marsh lamb Abalone Ark shell Blackcurrant leaf Fin Gras du Mézenc beef Garlic chives

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