How to Prep Nettles

Sarah MickeyAll Recipes, Culinary Tips & Techniques, Nettle Recipes, Produce Recipes, Wild Produce Recipes 1 Comment

HOW TO PREPARE
STINGING NETTLES

Stinging nettles are delicious, but before consuming them it is important to take out the sting. The key to neutralizing the stinging agent is to use moist heat (either blanching or steaming) to lightly cook them before touching or consuming them. Once the sting is gone, fresh stinging nettles can be used in salads, nettle pesto, ravioli fillings, in sauteed dishes, or cooked further in other recipes.

Image

DIRECTIONS:

1

Wearing gloves or using tongs, rinse the nettles in cold water

2

Blanch the nettles in boiling water for 60-90 seconds.

3

Drain the nettles in a colander. Run cold water over them to cool them to room temperature. Press down on the nettles to squeeze out all the water.

4

In most cases you should chop the nettles before adding them to whatever you are cooking. Without chopping the nettles before putting them in the food processor to make nettle pesto, for example, the nettles may add a stringiness to the dish. Certainly, chop the nettles before using them in a sauté or other dish where you don’t want straggly nettles hanging from your fork.