Pairing and Combining Your Fresh Grown Herbs with Food

When cooking with the fresh herbs you grow, the only rule is to please yourself and your guests. The following table lists flavorful herb and food combinations and herb substitutions, if you should find yourself suddenly out of your favorite herb. Use it to experiment and learn which herbal flavors you enjoy most.

Some general rules of thumb when cooking with fresh herbs:

• Flavors will vary. Taste your herbs before you add them to your cooking.

   

• Freshly picked herbs will start losing their flavor if stored for days.

   

• Tender herb leaves, like basil, chives, coriander, dill, fennel and parsley should be shopped just before use and added at the end of cooking, to retain their flavor.

   

• Thicker and woodier herbs, like bay, oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary can be adding during the cooking process to allow them time to meld with the other flavors.

   

• Thicker herb leaves, like rosemary and sage, can be very pungent and should be finely chopped and used sparingly or added whole and removed before serving.

   

• To substitute dried herbs for fresh, the general rule is:

  1 Tbsp. Fresh Chopped =

  1 tsp. Crumbled Dry or

  1/4 tsp. Ground Dry.

Herb Pairings

HERB	GREAT COMBOS	SUBSTITUTES
Basil	Most vegetables. Anything to do with tomatoes.	Marjoram, Mint, Anise
Bay	Used mainly in soups and stews, where the flavor can develop.	Thyme
Chives	Salads and Cold Plates	Scallions / Green Onions
Cilantro	Salsa, Asian and Caribbean Dishes	Flat-leaf Parsley. Spicy Basils.
Dill	Fish, Chicken, Eggs, Salad, Beans, Carrots, Cucumbers, Cabbage, Potatoes, Pickles & Sour Cream or Yogurt Dips.	Caraway
Lemon Grass	Thai Dishes, Chicken, Beef, Curry, often combined with coconut milk.	Lemon Zest
Lemon Verbena	Fish, Poultry, Marinades, Salad Dressing, Jams, Sauces, Teas.	Lemon Grass, Lemon Zest
Mint	Lamb, Eggplant, Desserts, Teas, Salads, Vegetables, Fruits.	Spicy Basils
Oregano	Beef, Chicken, Pasta, Tomatoes, “Blacken” Rub	Marjoram, Mint, Basil
Parsley	Salads, Tabbouleh	Cilantro
Rosemary	Chicken, Fish, Lamb, Pork, Potatoes, Stews	Oregano, Spicy Basils
Sage	Poultry, Beans, Stuffing, Pasta	Thyme, Summer Savory
Savory (Summer)	Vegetables, Fruits, Cheese	Winter Savory, Marjoram
Tarragon	Chicken, Eggs, Fish	Anise, Fennel
Thyme	Poultry, Eggs, Stews, Vegetables	Lemon Basil