Why You Should Fry Your Herbs
By Anna Stockwell, Epicurious
I put fresh herbs on everything. There’s really no dish that can’t be improved by a generous mix of chopped herbs stirred into the pot, or a handful of fresh herb leaves on top for garnish.
But sometimes I like to do something different with those fresh herbs. Change their texture completely, make them crunchy: fry them.
Related: The 57 Best Cooking Tips of All Time
There are two ways to go about frying fresh herbs, and several ways to go about using each once they’re fried.
THE SIMPLE HERB FRY
Parsley, sage, and rosemary work best here: they get nice and crisp and crunchy, and are gorgeous to boot. Keep the leaves whole for optimal effect, and if the stems aren’t too woody, leave them on as well. These are great sprinkled on top of a bowl of soup or over a serving of meat. Or mix them with fresh herbs for a uniquely textured salsa verde.
You don’t need to go crazy with deep-frying to make fried herbs: you can fry them in a small pot in about an inch of oil. Better yet, if you’ve already got a pan of oil hot to fry some chicken or make French fries, fry some herbs while you’re at it. Fried chicken and French fries are even more amazing with sprigs of crunchy fried herbs mixed into each serving.
To make simple fried herbs, fill a deep skillet or heavy saucepan with about one inch of a neutral oil with a high smoke point (such as canola oil), and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 375°F on a deep-fry or candy thermometer. If you don’t have a thermometer, wait until the oil looks swirly, then test to see if it’s ready by dropping in a single stem of fresh herbs: if it sizzles and floats, you’re good to go. If it sinks, wait longer.
Working in batches, and turning down the heat if it gets too hot, fry your fresh (but throughly dry!) herb sprigs for about 30 seconds, until they’re crisp but not too browned, and use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or rimmed baking sheet.
Sprinkle with a generous flurry of salt while they’re still hot, and continue frying until you’ve got all the crunchy herbs you need.
THE TEMPURA HERB FRY
Battered and fried herbs make fun little cocktail snacks or additions to fritto misto or vegetable tempura. This version is less of a garnish and more of a snack, but they also make great salad toppers.
The same herbs work best here: parsley, sage, and rosemary. If you’re already making a battered and fried food, just use the same batter, and dip a few sprigs of herbs into the batter and fry away.
Related: 14 Main Course-Worthy Vegetarian Salads
To make a simple tempura batter for herbs, mix equal parts flour with equal parts seltzer or beer, add a pinch of salt, and whisk to combine. You don’t need much batter for herbs: try starting with ¼ cup each of flour and carbonated liquid and make more if you need more.
Just like the simple fried herbs, you only need about an inch of hot oil for this method. Heat the oil to 375°F, and then fry in batches until the battered herbs are golden-brown and crispy, about 1 ½ minutes for each. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel-lined plate or rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with salt while they’re still hot.
More from Epicurious:
15 Foods on Sticks That Are Everything Great About Summer
14 No-Stress Ways to Cook Salmon
20 Must-Try Ways to Pair Items You Already Have In Your Pantry
12 Lightning-Fast Chicken Dinners to Make Now
PHOTOS BY CHELSEA KYLE, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA STOCKWELL
