Barba di Frate - or Friar's Beard

Well, finally, I found this kind of salad, the Barba di Frate or agretti, the edible leaves of the opposite leaved saltwort. First I have seen it in Robert's blog, and ever since I was absolutely curious about it. Its taste reminds me of spinach, though it is crispy. Often it is served among fish, but also raw as a salad. In the 16th century it was popular as a medical plant. Nowdays, the cultivated plant is grown in North Italy and in the southernmost canton of Switzerland, Ticino.


Lately, I've shared plenty of recipes with fish, but I just do not feel like eating meat. On the other side I am totally eager to bake, I just do not know yet what. Anyway, back to the dish. Barba di Frate is often flavoured with lemon and as I planned to serve fish, I decided to serve it among a lemon sabayon. However, I did not want a strong lemon taste, therefore I baked the lemons in the oven and used the so to say baked lemon juice. Many people dislike the fish skin, but if it is really crispy it is totally delicious, therefore I served it seperately this time, as I did not want that it gets soft under the sabayon. This quick and fresh meal need only a few minutes of cooking.