We’ve talked about it on the blog before but it bears repeating. Every summer your cilantro plant will begin to flower, and then bust out into fresh coriander seeds. And a whole new herb is born. One that is the greatest expression of flavour the plant or seed can offer up. Don’t agree? Let’s see what a world renowned expert of flavour has to say about it.
David Zilber grew up in Toronto. He went on to become Noma’s Master of Fermentation and wrote the Noma Guide To Fermentation (named one of the best cookbooks of 2018 by the New York Times) with René Redzepi.
He recently posted on Instagram about his love for green coriander seeds, saying, in part:
“Not up for discussion, the BEST flavour of coriander.”
He extolled the virtues that make the fresh seed so much better than the leaves, then went on to explain why they are also superior to dried coriander seed itself.
“Less dusty than dried seeds, but also mellowed in all the right ways.”
Read more about this incredible, and heretofore little known, example of herbaceous deliciousness on the Seed to Table blog.
Zilber, who Vice has called a “fermentation genius”, brines his to preserve them, and uses them in curries, pistous, even sprinkled over a coconut sorbet. Here’s his method for pickling.
- Pick before they begin drying on the stem. “They should feel juicy and almost oily to the touch,” Zilber advises.
- Make a brine that’s 2% salt and toss them in.
- Let them sit at room temperature for a week and then keep in the fridge.