Photography by Marie Viljoen.
In the United States, the leaves of this pungent plant are generally referred to as cilantro and the seeds as coriander, but that’s not a universal distinction; both names are correct, and what you call it depends on where you live, and what your first language might be.
But this herb has a culinary secret up its green sleeve: Harvested while tender and juicy, green coriander seed has a dramatically fresh flavor that enhances just about anything.
Coriander seeds forming on my tiny Brooklyn terrace, with yuzu and white Liatris in the background. Coriander-slash-cilantro is entirely edible (roots, leaves, flowers, green and mature seeds); it is ornamental; it supports pollinators; it has a long season of interest; and it is bountiful.
Spring-planted coriander begins to bloom in summer. The feathery leaves of mature cilantro remain good to eat, the airy white flowers are highly attractive to pollinators (and very pretty), and the subsequent green coriander seeds are uniquely delicious.
Coriander in late summer, with green seeds beginning to form. (You can also sow the seeds through the year, in succession.)
Bees are attracted to cilantro flowers.
A tablespoonful of juicy of juicy coriander seeds. Green coriander seeds are produced over a period of several weeks, from mid to late summer (if spring-sown).
Note: If you did want to leave the coriander to mature for more conventional use, don’t harvest any green seeds; just let the plant set seed until there are almost no flowers left. The whole herb can then be uprooted or cut, and hung up or spread out to dry, before you pick off the dry, brown seeds.
Mixed into a sugar-wash, green coriander and prickly ash seeds are brushed onto this bread, hot from the oven. Green coriander seeds, crushed as a filler or topping for bakes (like this pillowy milkbread stuffed with chicken of the woods mushrooms), are brighter in flavor than the dry seeds.
A paste of crushed green coriander seeds is also stirred into the mushroom stuffing.
An invisible layer of green coriander seeds is scattered across labneh topped with cucumbers, mint, and American burnweed.
A dressing of shoyu and balsamic is spiked with a green coriander, for steamed wax beans with peas, burrata and mugwort.
Crunchy, creamy lunch bowls with a lemon and green coriander vinaigrette. (Their chance proximity planted an idea, and it was a good one.)
Green Coriander Seed and Citrus Dressing
The vibrant flavor and scent of this versatile, simple dressing, may be life-changing.
You can substitute steamed green or wax beans, raw peas, use basil instead of mint; you’re looking for a balance of crisp and creamy textures. Arrange the vegetables and eggs in the bowls, and pour the just-emulsified green coriander dressing over everything.
Lunch-Bowl Salad