How to Cook With Fennel Leaves
You can add fennel leaves to infuse herbal flavor into a wide variety of seafood, meat and vegetable dishes. Fennel leaves, also called fronds, are the green flexible threads that extend from the top of the fennel plant. Fennel fronds are often added to a dish once while cooking and then again during the final garnishing stage. This two-stage seasoning approach balances the fennel frond's subtle earthy licorice or anise flavor with its bright fresh grassy tones. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Cold running water
- Kitchen towel
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Cheese cloth (optional)
- Cotton string (optional)
Instructions
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Rinse the fennel leaves under cold running water while they are still attached to the stalks. Dirt and grit left on the leaves will quickly dull the knife used to chop it.
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2
Pat the fennel leaves dry with a clean kitchen towel and place the fennel plant on the cutting board with the bulb pointing toward you.
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3
Hold the bulb to keep the plant from moving as you cut away the green fennel leaves from where they connect to the stalk. Run the tip of the knife parallel to the stalks and shave away all the leaves.
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4
Set the fennel plant aside leaving only the clean dry fennel leaves on the cutting board. The bulb and stalks can be used in the dish with the leaves or saved for another raw or cooked dish.
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5
Roughly chop the fennel leaves so that no pieces are longer than an inch. Push a third of the chopped fennel leaves to the side of the cutting board to be used as a last minute garnish.
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Add the roughly chopped fennel leaves to a bouillabaisse, stew, seafood or vegetable dish in equal proportion to the other herbs in the dish. A bouquet garni can be fashioned from a small square of cheese cloth and cotton string to contain the fennel leaves and other herbs during a liquid cooking process. To do this place the herbs in the center of the cloth square and lift the sides around the herbs until they can be tied together with the string. The bouquet can then be easily removed and discarded at the end of the cook, leaving only the herbal flavors behind.
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Mince the reserve fennel leaves on the cutting board before sprinkling them sparingly over the cooked food as an edible garnish right before serving. Hot foods will wilt and cook the fennel frond garnish in just a few minutes, so garnishing tableside is the preferred option.
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Tips & Warnings
Select only the freshest fennel plants that show no signs of drying, cracking or flowering when planning to cook with the fronds. Use the leaves right away and store the stalks and bulb in the refrigerator crisper drawer for up to a week.
Fennel leaves work well with thyme, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, citrus peels and many other herbs and spices.
References
- Photo Credit hand cutting fennel image by Victor Potasyev from Fotolia.com
