More than satisfied with Salsify (Schwarzwurzeln)

My days of quick glances at bizarre supermarket products are done! I vow to try you all! Starting with Salsify!

What a weird looking vegetable… to be honest, at first I thought it was some sort of weird root spice like; horseradish, wild ginger, or a relative of turmeric… But that couldn’t be true, since it’s only available is larger quantities (like 8 stalk bundles). I bought my Salsify from the REWE down the street for about 1,29€ under the name Schwarzwurzeln.

After a quick translation & Googling I discovered what this rather ugly vegetable was called Salsify in English (still never heard of it). I also found a few recipes on how to cook it. I chose was this Salsify Fritter one by Huge Fearnley, which I adapted slightly (see below). I’ve made these cakes twice now, once with garlic, and the second time with spring onions. I greatly preferred the spring onions since they have a milder and fresher flavour. I found the garlic flavour way too overpowering, and could barely taste the sweet buttery nutty salsify flavour.

Salsify Fritters

Time: 40 minutes
Cost: <5€
Difficulty: Easy, but cleaning the wax off your hands is really difficult
Rating: 3.5/5, husband approved meal

• around 5 salsify stalks (300 grams after peeling)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 green onion stalks
• a couple dashes of cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp flour
• salt & pepper to taste
• coconut oil for frying

1. Peel the salsify! I actually found that they left a very waxing-sticky coating on my hands, so the next time I cook these guys I’m going to be sure to wear my kitchen gloves. Also, be careful as the salsify can be a bit slippery, as it seems to release the same protective slime stuff that zucchinis and squashes emit, so be careful!

1. Grate your salsify in a course grater. I did not squeeze out the excess water here… I regret that and wish I did.

1. Heat 2 Tbsp of butter in a pan over medium heat, add grated salsify, and sauté until soft (5 mins).
2. Remove from frying pan from heat, and tip the salsify into a mixing bowl. Add finely chopped spring onions, coriander, cayenne, flour, and egg. Combine together.
3. Return pan to medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of coconut oil and a dab of butter (optional). Once the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp sized dollops of batter to the pan, evenly spaced, and press down so that they are flat. Fry for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden-brown.

Enjoy! Salsify has a very light-buttery flavour in my opinion, almost like a non-sweetend parsnip. Many people on the interwebs described it as having a “asparagusy” flavour, but I would disagree. I enjoyed mine with some sour cream and tomato based soup. Who needs crackers when you’ve got delicious salsify fritters?!

Anyways, the was super delicious, tasty, relatively healthy, and cheap meal! I highly recommend everyone give Salsify a try!