Cilantro, mint, and parsley star in herb-forward dishes for spring

Boston Globe

25-03-2025

During our travels in Athens and Sicily, we discovered similar baked cheese dishes. In Greece, it was a slab of briny, broiled feta eaten with bread. In Italy, it was rounds of ricotta that had been doused with spicy-peppery seasonings, then baked until tender and lightly browned. Back home, we found that neither cheese baked up well on its own — a result of lesser-quality cheeses than what we'd had overseas. But mixed together, a creamy, mild ricotta mitigated the graininess that resulted from baking some so-so brands of feta.
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For best results, look for blocks of feta packed in brine and avoid anything pre-crumbled.
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15- to 16-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, divided
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, divided
3 teaspoons Aleppo pepper, divided
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
Pita chips or warm pita bread, for serving
Heat the broiler with a rack about 4 inches from the element. In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, half the feta, 1 tablespoon mint, 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper, the oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¾ teaspoon black pepper. Stir in 3 tablespoons oil.
In a broiler-safe 10-inch skillet, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons oil with the remaining 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Scrape the cheese mixture into the skillet, then spread it out, stopping about ½ inch from the sides of the pan and leaving it slightly mounded in the center; the oil will pool around the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining feta evenly over the top.
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Place the skillet in the oven and broil until the feta on top begins to brown and the oil at the edges begins to bubble, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 tablespoons mint and serve warm, with pita chips or bread alongside.
Basque-Style Clams and Fish in Parsley-Garlic Sauce
Connie Miller
Basque-Style Clams and Fish in Parsley-Garlic Sauce
Makes 4 servings
Merluza en salsa verde con almejas, or hake in green sauce with clams, is a classic dish from the Basque Country in northern Spain. Fish fillets are gently simmered in a parsley, garlic, and olive oil sauce until flaky, then finished with clams cooked in their shells.
At the seaside restaurant Txoko, we tasted an especially delicious version in which the briny notes of the fish and clams were in perfect balance with the fresh flavors and luxe character of the sauce. Txoko takes a nontraditional, multistep approach to preparing the dish: the fish is parcooked on the grill and the sauce is made by stirring a fragrant pesto-like blend of parsley, garlic, almonds, olive oil, and Idiazabal cheese into a base of flour-thickened, oil-and-garlic-enriched fish stock. We adapted their formula and devised a method that requires only a food processor and a skillet but yields delicious results in about an hour.
If you cannot find Idiazabal cheese, a Basque sheep's-milk cheese with a subtle smokiness, Manchego is a good substitute.
1 ounce Idiazabal or Manchego cheese (without rind), cut into rough 1-inch chunks
¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted
Kosher salt
5 cups lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems
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¾ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
Four 6-ounce firm white fish fillets (about 1-inch thick), such as hake, cod, or grouper
5 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cubanelle pepper or jalapeño chili, stemmed, halved length wise, seeded, and thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup dry white wine
2 pounds hardshell clams (about 1½ inches in diameter), such as Manila or littleneck
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
In a food processor, combine the cheese, almonds, and ½ teaspoon salt. Process until finely chopped, about 20 seconds. Add the parsley and process until chopped, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add ½ cup of the oil, then process until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed; set aside.
Season the fish all over with salt. In a 12-inch skillet set over medium heat, combine the remaining ¼ cup oil with the garlic and the cubanelle pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic begins to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the wine reduces by half, about 4 minutes. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the clams, then cover and cook, occasionally shaking the skillet, until the clams have opened, about 4 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and, using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a bowl, discarding any that have not opened; cover to keep warm.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour and ½ cup of the broth mixture until smooth, then whisk the mixture into the broth in the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often; the liquid will thicken. Add the fish, then cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 4 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a very gentle simmer.
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Using a wide metal spatula, carefully flip the fillets. Re-cover and cook until the centers of the fillets are opaque and reach 120 degrees, another 2 to 4 minutes. Using the spatula, transfer the fillets to serving bowls.
Return the sauce to a simmer over medium heat, then stir in the parsley puree and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt. Pour the sauce over the fish and top with the clams.
Spice-Braised Lemon-Cilantro Chicken
Joe Murphy
Spice-Braised Lemon-Cilantro Chicken
Makes 4 to 6 servings
In this dish of braised chicken with notes of herb, spice, and citrus, we coax the fullest, boldest flavor from fresh cilantro by using both the stems and leaves. The roughly chopped stems are blended with aromatics and lemon juice into a vibrant green puree that's added at two stages: at the start of simmering so the ingredients have a chance to mellow and meld, and again at the end of cooking, along with the delicate cilantro leaves, for an infusion of fresh, bright flavor.
Boneless chicken parts do not work in this recipe. Bone-in thighs or breasts are essential for developing depth of flavor in the sauce; they also slow the cooking for less risk of dry, overdone meat. And after browning the chicken, be sure to remove the skin, which loses crispness during simmering and otherwise would make the sauce greasy.
Leaving the seeds in the serrano chili will give the dish a noticeable but not incendiary heat; for a milder version, seed the chili before roughly chopping it.
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Serve with basmati rice or warm naan.
1 medium bunch cilantro, stems roughly chopped and leaves chopped, reserved separately
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 serrano chili, stemmed, seeded (if desired), and roughly chopped (see headnote)
3 tablespoons lemon juice, divided, plus lemon wedges, to serve
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 teaspoons grape-seed or other neutral oil
3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, breasts, or a combination, trimmed, with breasts halved crosswise, if using
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
In a blender, combine the cilantro stems, ginger, garlic, chili, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ cup water. Puree until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the blender jar as needed. Set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken skin side down; cook, without disturbing, until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the second sides, about
5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate; remove and discard the skin. Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet.
Set the skillet over medium heat, then add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1¾ cups water and scrape up the browned bits, then stir in half of the puree. Add the chicken and accumulated juices; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook until the chicken no longer is pink when cut into with a knife, about 25 minutes.
Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the sauce, uncovered and stirring, until slightly reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Off heat, stir in the remaining cilantro puree, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and the cilantro leaves. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve the chicken with the sauce spooned over it and with lemon wedges on the side.
Christopher Kimball is the founder of Milk Street, home to a magazine, school, and radio and television shows. Globe readers get 12 weeks of complete digital access, plus two issues of Milk Street print magazine, for just $1. Go to 177milkstreet.com/globe. Send comments to