How To

How to Use Fresh Herbs in Salads

By eHow Health Editor

Rate: (2 Ratings)

A simple way to add new flavors to your daily menus is to use fresh herbs in your salads. Fresh herbs, whether grown in your own garden or purchased at a farm stand or supermarket, are great for cooking too. Fresh herbs will give your taste buds a real treat, and add extra zest and nutrition to everyday salads.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Fresh herbs
Salad of your choice
Chef's knife or kitchen shears

Step 1

Wash your fresh herbs thoroughly under running water when you're ready to use them. Wash only small amounts of the herbs at a time.
Step 2

Shake off the fresh herbs to remove the excess moisture.
Step 3

Spin the herbs dry with a salad spinner, or pat them dry with paper towels.
Step 4

Cut the fresh herbs into small pieces using a chef's knife or kitchen shears.
Step 5

Add the fresh herbs, according to your taste, to any type of salad that you make. They will make a tasty addition to tossed salads, as well as potato, pasta and seafood salads.

Tips & Warnings

Fresh herbs will last longer if you trim the stems in a diagonal direction and place them in a glass with one inch of water in the refrigerator. Cover the herbs loosely with a plastic bag and change the water every day.
Cut fresh herbs with large leaves into long thin strips, by stacking about four or five leaves on top of one another and rolling them tightly together. Then use a sharp knife to cut them into thin strips about 1/16th inch wide. This is called chiffonade style of cutting the herbs.
For herbs with strong sturdy stems, strip of the leaves by sliding your fingers from top to bottom as you push off the leaves. Use this technique for herbs with tough stems like sage, marjoram, thyme and oregano.
Fresh parsley, tarragon, chervil and cilantro make wonderful additions to a tossed vegetable salad.
Add freshly chopped parsley, dill and basil to creamy potato, pasta or seafood salad.
Infuse your olive oil and vinegar with fresh herbs, such as tarragon, dill, oregano, thyme and basil for a wonderful and delicious taste. Put the fresh herbs of your choice in a glass jar with a cover, along with any spices you might like, and cover with the oil or vinegar. Let the mixture sit for about 24 hours.