Cilantro
- photo by Mats Heyman
Cilantro (also called Chinese Parsley or Coriander Leaves) is a fresh herb, specifically the leafy part of the coriander plant. Related to parsley and carrots, it’s fresh green leaves look a lot like flat Italian parsley but has a brighter juicy flavor with citrus-like overtones.
Widely used in Mexican, South American, and Asian cooking, cilantro is also used in natural medicine to stimulate digestion and has an amazingly high amount of vitamin A and lutein.
Selection and Storage:
On first glance, cilantro can be easily confused by flat leaf parsley. Unlike parsley, cilantro will be significantly more fragrant. When buying fresh cilantro, you should look for leaves that are vibrant and bright green in color, free from yellow or brown spots.
Fresh cilantro should be washed right before using to prevent wilting. To clean cilantro, fill a bowl with clean water and swish the leaves around to dislodge any sand or dirt. Repeat this process with clean water until no grit is visible in the bowl.
Kept in the refrigerator in a plastic bag wrapped in a paper towel, fresh cilantro may be stored for up to 1 week. Cilantro leaves can also be frozen loose or in ice cube trays covered with water or stock. Do not thaw frozen cilantro before use as it will become mushy. Instead, add frozen cilantro directly to your soups, stews, or sauces during cooking.
Cooking:
This fragrant herb is used throughout the world in a variety of dishes. Cilantro is a key ingredient in many Mexican/Southwest sauces such as fresh tomato salsa, guacamole, and salsa verde. In the Middle East cilantro is used in pickles, curries, and chutneys. It also can be seen in Asian stir-fries and Indian curries.
Lime and cilantro are perfect compliments to each other, making a great accent to grilled corn, chicken, or as a salad dressing. Fresh cilantro is also a wonderful addition to Mexican dishes such as tacos or enchiladas.
Cilantro’s bright flavor goes great with fish and seafood like shrimp, tialpia, mahi-mahi, and halibit. If you have an abundance of cilantro, try a chimichurri, an Argentinian sauce originally made from fresh green herbs like parsley or cilantro. Use it as a marinade, basting sauce, or condiment, for grilled steak, chicken, or fish.
In most dishes, cilantro is used fresh or added just before serving in order to preserve it’s taste and texture. However, some people find the sharp flavor of cilantro to be a bit overpowering. If this is the case, try gently cooking it in the dish before serving to take out some of the cilantro punch rather than adding it fresh at the table.
More Recipes:
- Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro
- Cilantro Garlic Yogurt Sauce
- Denise’s Peanut Chicken
- Jasmine Rice with Garlic, Ginger, and Cilantro
- Jícama and Pineapple Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette
- Orange Beef with Cilantro Rice
- Tomato-Cilantro Soup
