An excellent way to preserve fresh culinary herbs, inspired by the Québec “Herbes Salées”.
The term “herbes salées” (salted herbs) comes from the French province of Québec and is a traditional condiment for seasoning. My friend Geneviève-Amélie, born in the region that created and produces the classic blend of Herbes salées du Bas-du-Fleuve, introduced me to this method. Many herb varieties can be cultivated all year long where we live in Australia, so the need to preserve all summer garden herbs for the rest of the year is not as necessary. But in a cool climate zone, some tender greens go dormant in winter or annuals that go to seeds. So, it is still worth saving our seasonal culinary herbs to enjoy them all year long. With time, I developed my favourite type of preserving for each of my favourite herbs. Some will be for drying; some will be for freezing. I like making some garden oven-dried herb blend salts, but the difference with the Herbes Salées method is that herbs, combined with salt as a preservative, stay moist. The jar must be stored in the fridge and is safe for up to a year.
The authentic salted preserved herb blend is commonly used to season the ancestral Canadian Pea Soup, Tourtières and any warm, savoury recipes. One way to prepare it, is to mix and chop a whole bowl of herbs with the salt in the food processor before filling it all in a sterilized glass jar, closing it up and letting it macerate for a few weeks before using. Another way is to place a layer of chopped herbs covered with a layer of salt, repeat until the jar is filled, and mix it all up when ready to use. Most of the time, I only used parsley, celery leaves and chives. These are my favourite herbs fro this recipe because the green does not oxidise in the salt like other herbs. You can also add finely chopped carrots, celery, leek and spring onions from the garden.
RECIPE
Keep following for new recipe releases and updates on the book(s) in progress!
