Rock Samphire Meze | Aegean-Style Lemon-Marinated Coastal Herb

Snap off the woody lower ends of the stems with your fingers. Fresh parts snap easily; woody parts bend and resist breaking. Rinse the herb 2 times in plenty of cold water and make sure no sand remains. Fine sand from rocky areas can hide at the base of the leaves.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the herb without salt. After 3-4 minutes, take out a stem and bite it: it is done when your teeth pass through without resistance while the herb still feels crisp. If you cook it longer, the leaves turn mushy and the meze loses its only texture.

Lift the herb out with a slotted spoon and transfer it directly to ice water. This stops the cooking and preserves the green color; if left in a strainer while hot, the herb will continue cooking in its own steam and turn olive green.

Pound the garlic in a mortar, then whisk it with the lemon juice and olive oil until the mixture looks slightly cloudy and emulsified. Put the drained herb in a large bowl, drizzle the dressing over it, add the black pepper, and toss by hand. Taste a stem before serving to decide whether it needs salt; usually it does not.