Top Five Favorite Herbs for Grilling... with Recipes
Creating a BBQ herb garden is super easy, and summer is the perfect time to gather up fresh ingredients from the garden. Even if you don’t have the space, these herbs can be readily available and easily planted in a container garden, or in any sunny space in your backyard.
1. Is it thyme for a cocktail?
Thyme has a way of enhancing flavors. It’s not an overpowering herb, so don’t be shy adding an extra sprig or two to your next meal. It’s an extremely popular herb that’s used in many Mediterranean cuisines. Add thyme to fish and seafood, lamb, or soups, or experiment with some of your favorite limey cocktails. The most intense flavor is found in the tiny leaves, harvest the thyme just before it begins to flower.
2. Eat, drink and be rosemary
Use rosemary with chicken and other poultry, game, lamb, pork, steaks, and fish, but in moderation. Rosemary can have an overpowering flavor and can get tough to eat when cooked too long. For best results use sparingly and chop up fine prior to cooking. Any unused rosemary can be stored in a dry place for up to 3 weeks, or freeze if you want to preserve it for a few months.
3. Is Elvis Parsley still king?
It’s parsley a garnish? We know it’s easy to overlook parsley as cooking herb, but it really deserves more credit. With its robust green flavor, it’s a great addition to salads, sauces, and marinades, and can be cooked in pasta dishes and soups.
4. SassSage
Did you know sage is part of the mint family? Like mint, sage can be a bit overwhelming, so be sure to use it sparingly. Remove the leaves from the stalk and rinse well under cold water.
Sage is one of those herbs that pair extremely well with fatty meats, like lamb, and sausage, and tastes great with eggs and cheesy foods. It also pairs well with honey. You’ll only want to eat cooked sage, as raw sage has an unpleasant cotton like texture.
5. Behind these basil eyes
Mmmm pesto, I mean basil. Basil is such a fun herb and easy to grow. Eat it raw and put it on a fresh kabob or infuse it in oil, the possibilities with this herb are deliciously endless! Basil is the ultimate compliment to tomatoes and also pairs beautifully with onions, garlic, and olives.