How to Fry Herbs and What to Do With Them
Most home chefs know that adding a small amount of fresh herbs to their meals is an easy (and fairly cheap) way to take them to new, flavorful levels, but too few of them harness the power of roasted fresh herbs.
Not all herbs are good for roasting – you need to roast tough guys like rosemary, sage, or parsley – but the ones that do work . Aside from the delicious crispness (and crunchiness is always welcome), any aggressive, raw character the herb may have is aged. The parsley becomes less herbaceous, the coniferous character of rosemary becomes calmer, and the sage becomes slightly less pungent.
Once seared, these crunchy little leaves can be sprinkled with a variety of food groups to add texture, flavor and depth. Crispy sage makes the perfect filling for creamy pumpkin-based soup. Fried parsley goes well with fried or fried fish. Crispy rosemary loves any potato. All three dishes can and should be added to fried chicken.
Herbs are also one of the easiest roasting foods you will ever come across. Not only do they require very little oil, but they are one of the few fried foods that smell better in the kitchen, not worse.
Just add about an inch of frying oil (something with a high smoke temperature) to your favorite frying bowl and bring it to 375 ℉. Then, working in portions, place the clean, very dry herbs in the oil for 30 seconds or so, until they stop sizzling and take on a light shade. Remove them with small tongs or a spider and place them on paper towels to dry, salting them while still warm.