Salsify
Tragopogon porrifolius · Root vegetable
Top 10 pairings
Salsify is the long, slender, cream-fleshed taproot of Tragopogon porrifolius, a cool-season biennial in the daisy family (Asteraceae) — better known by its old nicknames "oyster plant" and "vegetable oyster" for the faint marine sweetness some taste in its delicate, artichoke-like flesh. A nearly-forgotten European winter root, it is peeled, held in acidulated water to stop it browning, then boiled, roasted or sautéed into a tender, mild side.
Picking a good onedrag
Rigid, milky at the cutLimp, browned, softening
Shop firmEveryday bestThe all-rounder: boiled and buttered, gratin, purée, or fried as fritters.
In the handFirm, only the thin tail flexes
Cut endCut face ivory, dry, faintly tan
SkinDry and matte, fine rootlets intact
Smell at the cutEarthy, mild and clean
What you get from one
87%
Edible part
scrapings and rootlets off
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 11× longer than the counter.
95-98%
Humidity
Still air, wrapped
Airflow