Samphire, the beautiful wild green vegetable that grows by the sea, is best picked in July and August. You’ll find it on marshy ground, usually just over the dunes. It’s plentiful in the West of Ireland. I usually head out past Salthill to places like Barna and Spidéal and look for wet damp ground behind the beach head.

There are two types of samphire: marsh and rock. Most of us are familiar with marsh samphire, which looks a little like baby asparagus. Eaten raw, it has a nice crisp texture and salty taste. The other type of samphire grows (as you may have already guessed) on rocks. Some describe its taste as unpleasant due to its bitter quality and petroleum notes.

Though I find both go well in broths; either a simple clear seaweed soup (like a Japanese Dashi) or a roast fish bone broth. These broths are really easy infusions to make and a full of minerals and other good stuff for the body.

Get some turbot bones from your fishmonger and roast the hell out of them until they are beautifully brown. Place them in a pot and over with water. Add a splash of vinegar and white wine. Bring to the boil and simmer immediately. Simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and season to taste with some sea salt. Add some herbs for flavour: tarragon, lovage or fennel and allow to cool. These herbs will give it a nice herbaceous quality. Strain the herbs.

The broth will keep for a week in the fridge. To add samphire, simply warm the broth and add a handful of samphire at the end. You can add salmon as well for a more sustainable meal. Little pieces will cook in a second, so add them at the same time as the samphire.

Samphire also pickles well and will keep indefinitely in a cool dark space. Bring 4 parts malt vinegar, 1 part sugar and water to the boil. Trim the woody ends of the samphire and discard any discoloured pieces. Cool the pickling liquid slightly and then pour over the samphire.