Nasturtium leaves add a unique citrusy, peppery flavor to a wide range of culinary dishes, along with a delightfully crisp texture. Here are intriguing ways to use them in a cocktail, at a fine dining establishment, and in a banquet environment.
Bar and Bar Snack: Nasturtium Martini
We season nasturtium flowers with sugar and then shake them into a quick martini. The leaves float on the surface as a garnish, and a drop of saline solution finishes the cocktail. This is a simple and elegant representation of a highly aromatic ingredient.
Fine Dining: Nasturtium Taco
These little bites make a great start to a long-format dinner. The full-size nasturtium leaf is a perfect vessel for folding ingredients—in this case, raw beef with fermented peppers and herbs.
Banquet/Country Club Dining: Seasonal Wedge Salad
When it’s wedge salad season, we make wedge salads, and they serve as a canvas for anything we find on the farm. Nothing is off limits—eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and radishes, along with every flower, every herb, and every plant in any form—including the versatile nasturtium.
More About Nasturtium
The Chef’s Garden offers a variety of flavorful and aromatic nasturtium leaves, including:
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Traditional nasturtium leaves
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Variegated nasturtium leaves
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Mixed nasturtium leaves
Watch for more posts with the theme of Food Plating Techniques!