Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Fresh Coriander Seed


It's funny how here in the States we commonly use the term coriander to refer to the seeds of the plant that we commonly call cilantro but in most other English speaking countries the term coriander refers to both the seeds and the plants. Why don't we call it cilantro seed other than when we are sowing it? Or, why do we have to be different and call the plants cilantro? Actually, I remember years ago when some recipes referred to it as Chinese parsley. Talk about confusing. At least we don't have a problem with confusion about which part of the plant a recipe may be calling for if the author is not being specific.

My volunteer cilantro plants are in full bloom now and I noticed yesterday that many of them were sporting umbels of fresh green seeds - coriander seeds. Coriander is one of my favorite spices and in the past I've waited none too patiently for my cilantro, um coriander, seeds to dry on the plants before I collected them. Then, one day last year when the coriander seeds were nearly ready to harvest I thought to pop a few immature green seeds into my mouth. Hmm, pleasantly crunchy and the flavor was somewhere between fresh cilantro and dried coriander (thoroughly confused yet?), and the aroma, oh the aroma was amazing. Yum, yum, yum. But darn, the plants were done blooming and the supply of green seeds was minimal and there wasn't enough left to really do some experimenting in the kitchen. So yesterday I was excited to see these special treats appearing once again, but not only that, it was something in the garden that I could harvest (I can't wait to get my garden up and running again) and I had to come up with a way to use them right now.

I had just been to the village to pick up my latest share from Local Catch, the community supported fishery that I signed up for a few months ago. This week the selection was incredibly fresh wild King Salmon filets from the Monterey Bay. The fresh coriander would be a great match with the salmon, but I already had a plan for the salmon, just a simple pan roast that would probably burn the coriander seeds so I turned my thoughts to the accompanying vegetable - sugar snap peas (from the farmer's market, sigh).  I had a little more than a half pound of peas, just enough for the two of us. I warmed some olive oil in a skillet and threw in a handful of pepitas (raw skinless pumpkin seeds) and the fresh coriander seeds that I had plucked off the umbels. Once the pepitas started to pop I tossed in some sliced red onion and the stringed peas and tossed it all together until the peas turned bright green. I then turned the heat down to the lowest setting, covered the pan and allowed the peas to finish steaming in their own juices. Once they were crisp-tender I seasoned them with some salt, fresh ground black pepper, and the juice of half a lime. Yum, but the coriander was so fragrant and flavorful that it was almost too much, next time I'll use about half the amount. I used all the seeds that you can see in the photo above. I served the salmon and peas with more lime juice and a drizzle of my best extra virgin olive oil.

Now I'm trying to think of more ways to use the fresh seeds. If I had some garden fresh veggies I would try making some pickles. If I had some garden fresh.... Well, I've got a fresh local pasture raised chicken for dinner tonight, time to put on my thinking cap and come up with a way to spice it up with some fresh coriander seeds. Hmm, maybe a coconut curry of some sort. Fresh coriander and lemongrass from the garden? Coriander, lemongrass, and fish sauce... Ok, I'm getting there.

How would you use a bunch of fresh coriander seeds?

19 comments:

  1. Hmm maybe in a salad dressing with an Asian inspired salad? And pork with a fruit sauce might be a good pairing. My taste buds want to have the pork be sweet and spicy. Sadly without chilies in my house I couldn't do that. I suppose I could throw mustard or horseradish in but you know it just isn't the same.

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  2. I always plant cilantro, but never let it go to seed. This year I'm going to have to plant a patch just for the green seed. I bet you could freeze the green seeds and use them throughout the year. Do the rats and rabbits eat your cilantro?

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  3. What kind of cilantro do you grow? I have calypso. I guess if I was growing it just for the seed, I'd want the fastest bolting variety, although they all seem to bolt pretty quickly.

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  4. I've never thought of even trying the seeds green let alone cooking with them. I think I would use them in a recipe which I would generally use the leaf and see how that works. I make a coconut daal which uses the leaf when then tempered spices are added. Tempering the seeds and adding them at that point would give texture and work really well I think. Now I want to try it, but then the last thing I want is my plants to bolt - oh the dilemmas...

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  5. Last year I let my cilantro set seeds. But I waited until they were brown to harvest them as coriander. While I was picking them, a lot of the seeds got away from me. This year I found lots and lots of volunteer cilantro plants in my tomato tubs. LOL! I'm not sure how you would use the green seeds. I can't wait to see what you end up doing with them.

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  6. I have always though the naming conventions for this plant and it's seed was confusing too. I seem to have missed planting any cilantro this year. I may stop by the local nursery and pick up a pack of starts and tuck them in somewhere in the the garden (no idea where as the garden is overflowing at the moment). Your pea dish sounds absolutely beautiful. I have a while before the sugar snaps are on but I am filing that away for future use and inspiration.

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  7. I planted coriander/cilantro in my San Francisco garden years ago for the seeds, not knowing about cilantro at the time. Harvested the seeds into a bowl that I placed in my entry hall to the house. Went to work, came home and nearly got sick because the fragrance of the coriander was so overwhelming! Needless to say, I'm not a fan of coriander seed. Think I'll have to try it again.

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  8. No matter what we call it, I love it! I have some blooming now too and always harvest the seeds for next year and for dry use. Your salmon sounds like a winner recipe.

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  9. Darn! I just made pickles (there's a post I should write) and they would have been perfect. Maybe we don't have any yet and I can pickle onion rings too. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  10. Your fish dish sounds delicious, now you've inspired me to try green coriander seeds, I think I should sow some seeds for fall harvest.

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  11. I'm a huge fan of fresh coriander seeds (http://confessionsofafoodnazi.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/fresh-green-and-vomit-free.html). There's nothing like them. I use them in almost any kind of curry or vaguely Mexican dish. But next time my plant goes to seed I'll definitely be exploring pickles and perhaps a variation on Mauritian achar.

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  12. Maybe try frying the fresh coriander seeds, using them as a topping for dishes or popcorn?

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  13. Just now going to make grilled salmon tacos with green coriander seed crema and mango, black bean and serrano salsa. we'll see if it works. Not just for pickles, these little guys.

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  14. I made a spicy chicken soup last summer with the fresh green cilantro seeds I had grown. I love cilantro also, and the seeds really added that delicious flavor to the soup. Great post! And good job Zeke! My Mister kitty could use a few lessons :)

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  15. Wow, there's lots of great ideas here for fresh coriander seeds. Thanks for the ideas everyone! Just in time for the new crop of seeds...

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  16. i've just found some of these bad boys in my garden in england (didn't even realise it was hot enough for it to grow outside over here), think i'm gonna throw a few into an asian style stir fry tomorrow and see what happens.

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  17. I left my cilantro to lean over the edge of the garden. It seems to have produced WAY more coriander seeds than I would imagine using over the winter. Tonight, I'll try using it in my dahl.

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  18. I chop them up and use them in Indian food along with the other spices in the recipe. Also, they are great just sprinkled in salad or as a garnish. I like them so much better than tobiko, and they have a little crunch. I have heard they freeze well or you can preserve them in brine. - California Gardener

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  19. I have a plot in a community garden and I have had volunteer coriander for the last 2 years! And tons of dill! I now have coriander flowers, green seeds and green leaves! Thinking of making it into a chutney. Wonder what other recipes there are. Thanks for sharing! :) Oh, I'm vegetarian. I wonder if any of you have vegetarian recipes with it? Peace, Rachel.

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