Too many herbs!

June 23, 2024 12:16 PM

I am overwhelmed with herbs from our weekly farm box. I currently have more fresh dill, cilantro, and lemon balm than I know what to do with. Oh, and several bunches of scallions. Suggestions for recipes that use a ton of these in one go? Vegetarian preferred but not required, don't eat beef, not crazy about spicy stuff.
posted by skycrashesdown to Food & Drink (26 answers total)

I like to throw finely chopped herbs into the rice cooker when I make rice, plus a small glob of olive oil or butter. I usually use dill, parsley, scallions, mint, at least a cup in total, and stir once or twice to make sure they don't just collect on top. Cilantro would probably work too, maybe lemon balm.
posted by esker at 12:24 PM on June 23

Make a green goddess dressing using the dill, cilantro, a sparing amount of lemon balm, and some of the scallions (in place of the chives). Use it as a salad dressing or a dip for crudités.

For the rest of the lemon balm, brew some iced tea or make a lemon balm syrup and add it to carbonated water or cocktails for a refreshing summer beverage.
posted by A Blue Moon at 12:30 PM on June 23 [6 favorites]

My friend once made Yotam Ottolenghi's Herb Pie for a dinner party, and it was delicious! I think you could use any herb mix you want.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 12:35 PM on June 23 [2 favorites]

I like to keep a big container of chopped scallions (both green & white parts) for sprinkling on all kinds of things. Loaded tots, baked potatoes, egg salad (and other creamy "salads" like tuna, pasta, potato); Asian dishes, chili, etc. Also, when I was a kid my parents used to clean and trim whole scallions and serve them raw when they cooked out. They're good with a little salt or a creamy dip.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:35 PM on June 23

This is not a recipe, but I've had good luck preserving fresh herbs using salt (this looks close to what I did) - and the herbs will last a couple of months, which definitely takes the pressure off using them all up.
posted by catcafe at 12:39 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

Shaveed Polo or leafy herb salad, NYT gift links.
posted by pollytropos at 12:41 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

Make pesto! I make it and pack it into 1/4 cup mason jars. Spray the top with oil to keep it from turning brown (Pam is fine, or use an oil sprayer). Freeze in the jars -- this will taste so good in winter! I keep one jar in the fridge and freeze the rest. Every time I use some, I spray the newly-exposed part with oil.

In addition to using it on pasta, you can mix it with oil and vinegar for a quick salad dressing, put a dollop on any savory food, like pot beans.

I make mine without salt. You can also make it lower in fat by substituting aqua faba or the water from cooking white beans for half the oil. I've tried making it with no oil, and the results were not good (slimy instead of unctuous).
posted by OrangeDisk at 12:43 PM on June 23 [3 favorites]

Asian scallion pancakes. They can be made and frozen in batches. Excellent substitute as buns.
posted by tipsyBumblebee at 12:57 PM on June 23 [6 favorites]

Sāndevich-e Kālbās.
posted by offog at 12:58 PM on June 23

All the Persian food! Like kuku sabzi
posted by mumimor at 1:00 PM on June 23 [8 favorites]

If you make falafel from scratch (easier than it sounds using a food processor and soaking the chick peas rather than cooking), you can throw all of those in there, including the scallions (though I would use either the dill or the lemon balm, probably not both at once).

Gravlax (salt-cured salmon) is great with lots of fresh dill. You can use a lot of dill in a potato salad (either creamy or vinegar-based).

Scallion crisps are tasty on many dishes and keep for a while.

You can throw quite a bit of cilantro into various Mexican salsas, especially a green salsa (which can be very mild if you want, just one jalepeño with a bunch of tomatillos and onion).
posted by ssg at 1:02 PM on June 23

I make a version of this green gazpacho with handfuls of parsley, mint, basil, and/or cilantro, plus 4-5 scallions and 1/3 a cup of lime juice instead of the vinegar. I skip the cumin and honey, but see what you like. I also use yellow tomatoes because red ones blend with the avocado to make a truly revolting shade of brown.

I would dry the lemon balm for tea, but that’s just because I think it tastes like floor polish.
posted by corey flood at 1:20 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

You could put a huge amount of these in with the spinach when you make spanakopita.
posted by Daily Alice at 1:29 PM on June 23 [3 favorites]

Josh McFadden's Spiced Green Sauce is delightful, and could be made with dill instead of some/all of the parsley. I toss this with a simple roasted cauliflower and eat it as a side (garnish with chopped dates and some toasted nuts or seeds), as a sandwich filling, make it an entree by adding some tofu or beans, etc.
--
CILANTRO "PESTO"
makes ~2 cups

3 Cups packed cilantro leaves and tender stems - See Prep Note
1/2 C chopped scallion - mainly white part
1/2 C walnuts, toasted
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
12 oz (3/4 Cup) olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Prep Note: Prepare the cilantro by cutting off the bottom 2" of stems. Wash and shake dry. Coarsely chop the remaining cilantro and set aside.

Add the scallions, nuts, lemon juice and lemon zest, and 1/2 tsp salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse and chop until everything is evenly ground up.

Add the cilantro and process until the cilantro is evenly minced. Stream in the olive oil. Only blend it long enough to incorporate the oil.

Taste for seasoning and adjust.

--
The lemon balm can be dried for tea, or some good ideas and recipes are here.
posted by jenquat at 2:19 PM on June 23

Scallions are featured in a lot of Chinese food. I'd make fried rice with peas, scrambled egg, cilantro, lots of scallions, peas. Fried tofu is a great addition. Scallion pancakes are really delicious. Potato salad with lots of dill. I love cilantro and would make salsa - canned crushed tomatoes, red onion, long green mild chilies, as many jalapeños as you like for heat, lime juice, cilantro, garlic. Some people add cumin. You can chop and freeze dill and cilantro in oil or water, in ice cube trays. I like fritters - basically unsweetened pancake batter or sourdough discard with grated potatoes or summer squash or other veg, and dill would work well. You fry them in some oil. I've had cilantro pesto and it's really good.

Put lemon balm in a vase with water and enjoy the fragrance. I'm not a fan of culinary uses, but the fragrance is delightful.
posted by theora55 at 2:27 PM on June 23 [2 favorites]

Make a chimichurri. It's traditional to have it with steak but I'm sure it would be great with all kinds of other things.
posted by quacks like a duck at 2:39 PM on June 23 [2 favorites]

This is an amazing salad dressing, vegetable dip, vegetable dressing:
Blend in blender:
3⁄4 cup mayo
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaf
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 garlic clove
Add some scallion.

Can you dry the dill? That would be great to use in any yogurt dish, dill sip (1/2 mayo, 1/2 sour cream, salt, garlic powder, dill).
https://borealbloomhomestead.com/how-to-dry-dill/

Freeze the scallions. Roast them.

Lemon balm tea. Dry the lemon balm.
posted by RoadScholar at 3:48 PM on June 23

Yotam Ottolenghi's green couscous is an amazing way to use up a huge pile of herbs. I cannot recommend it enough.

We made it last night with an entire market bunch of parsley, another of cilantro, and a couple big handfuls of mint and tarragon from the garden. Then we juiced it up with some fennel, scallions, mushrooms, onions, pistachios, and serrano chiles. Dumped in an entire bag of arugula, and topped with a little bit of grilled salmon (which is totally optional).

Sooo good. It would definitely work with cilantro and dill and could use up a bunch of scallions at the same time.
posted by graphweaver at 5:43 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

I slice up leftover scallions and freeze them in little containers. You would probably notice the texture raw but they are totally fine for adding to soups, stir fries, scallion pancakes, etc. it is always a joy to remember that they’re in the freezer!
posted by chocotaco at 6:06 PM on June 23 [2 favorites]

You can make lemon balm infused honey which will keep for a very long time and is one of the finest additions to tea. Just clean your lemon balm meticulously and pat it as dry as you can, then place it in a clean jar. Cover the herbs entirely with a mild flavored local honey (so avoid like, buckwheat honey or other other more distinctive types) and seal the jar. Turn the jar a few times a day for a few weeks and it should be good to go. Strain the herbs out if you like. You can also infuse honey faster by heating the honey and herbs gently and slowly until it’s very hot but not a crazy boil and then straining it, allow it to cool and repeat the heating with more herbs. This can be tricky and can make the flavors a bit different because heat messes with delicate flavor compounds but it is a lot faster. Anyway once you have a lemon balm infused honey, stick it on basically anything you like honey. Try it on apples, fresh bread, etc. Of course also make a simple syrup by combining equal parts honey and water and heating/agitating it until dissolved, and use that to sweeten a giant pitcher of iced tea. Guaranteed summer good times.
posted by Mizu at 6:36 PM on June 23

A chef friend once made me "green sauce" which is the juice of one citrus fruit (sour-er, better) + 1 clove garlic + dash salt + dash pepper + ~1 cup of washed packed whatever mixed herbs and garlic scapes/onion greens/scallions you got (much better if you have a mix of 3 to 5 things) + few teaspoons (olive or canola) oil drizzled, as you zitz this with an immersion blender or small food processor, to get some emulsion action. I am vegetarian so enjoy on salad, egg omelettes, in bean tacos/burritos, on green & protein bowls.
posted by holyrood at 8:58 PM on June 23 [1 favorite]

You can freeze extra herbs and they'll last you all year (or maybe two) in the freezer. Here is advice for how to do it from PennState Extension.
posted by flug at 9:02 PM on June 23

This recipe calls for a 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and a 1/4 cup of chopped oregano. It's fairly easy to pull together and has always been a hit with my family:

Tomato Rice and Beans
posted by kuanes at 3:56 AM on June 24

Thai and Vietnamese herb salads are the way to go. They're also phenomenal in the summer!
posted by yellowcandy at 7:39 AM on June 24

Yes to kuku! So good
posted by latkes at 10:05 AM on June 24

Seconding pesto. You can make a pesto out of any herbs you like. Just taste it and season accordingly. I know some people like to do MOAR GARLIC, but I personally like to keep the raw garlic low to medium, as I feel like it overwhelms the herbs when it's too much. Add some dried chili flakes. A little lemon juice and zest if you want. You can use pine nuts, or walnuts or almonds. freeze it in small usable sized portions.

There's no reason it needs to be basil, pine nuts, garlic and oil with salt.
posted by SoberHighland at 11:17 AM on June 24