Weird But Good: Grilled, Bacon-Wrapped Beef Spleen with Steamed Sea Beans

 

Ah, the adventures we have at the Ballard farmers market...as evidenced by this meal. First we came across foraged sea beans, also known as samphires or sea pickles, which we remembered from the "Top Chef" episode in which contestant Richard Blais paired them with corn puree and seared bone marrow. Sea beans grow along the coast and are tender and crisp like green beans, but salty like the ocean. I steamed them just for a few minutes to brighten their color and flavor, and tossed them with some olive oil...no need for salt. And the perfect pairing? A beef spleen, which we bought as an amusing experiment, thinking that for $3, we could feed it to Chloe the dog if it was terrible. Turns out it tastes like liver but has a firmer texture. I happen to like the flavor of liver but not the mushy texture. I unfurled the spleen and laid strips of bacon on it, then rolled it back up like a cinnamon roll, pierced it with a metal skewer, and grilled it for quite a long time, like a half hour, until it had a good seared crust and both it and the bacon were cooked through. A local IPA, some crusty bread and coarse mustard were the finishing touches for a rustic early summer meal.