Sea spaghetti

Haricot de mer

What it is

The straps are not the plant but its fruiting bodies: Himanthalia spends a year or two as a small rubbery button on the rock before throwing out forked thongs that reach two metres. Harvesters cut the straps and leave the button to go again.

In the kitchen

Cook it like a green bean, not like a dried seaweed: fifteen minutes' soaking and twenty at a simmer, until it snaps instead of squeaking on the tooth. Undercooked it stays rubbery and no dressing hides it.

Goes with

Olive oil Garlic Lemon Cod Potato Sesame Chorizo

In season alongside

Japanese abalone Irish moss Mekabu Mozuku Warty venus clam Salt marsh lamb

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