Known as year-round herb that is mostly used as handpicked fresh tender leaved from either curly or flat-leaf parsley. It is great for blending because it is compatible with many other herbs.
Parsley is constantly overlooked as just a mere garnish, but there’s more to it than that. Delicious with some vibrant bright green color, this humble herb strikes a delicate balance in many savory dishes.
What to eat with parley? Whether it is fresh or dried, you can eat parsley with vegetables, fruits, and grains. Including chicken and fish, the parsley leaf and stem can be useful for cooking or garnishing a dish.
Not only on meals, but parsley is great addition for simple snack such as fresh parmesan or ricotta cheese on a piece of bread to enhance flavor.
However, avoid using parsley in any desserts.
Fresh chopped or chiffonnade parsley has a clean, peppery taste with a dash of earthiness, making it a herb garden staple. With every leaf comes some aromatic natural oil that bring about its unmistakable flavor.
From Middle Eastern to Moroccan cuisine, it adds flavor in meat, soup, salad, and sauces. Other than meat, vegetables, and grains, what pairs perfectly with parsley?
This article answers frequently asked questions about what to eat with parsley, what pairs perfectly with the herb and how to use it to flavor your dishes. Let’s find out more in this article.
What flavor goes with parsley?
Parsley has several complementary flavors. These flavors include natural aromatic peppery taste with a touch of earthiness to make that dish more memorable. The staple herb has salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami that offer a mild bitter taste.
Here are recommended flavors that go perfectly with parsley:
- parsley + bulgar wheat + garlic + lemon + mint + olive oil + scallions
- parsley + butter + garlic
- parsley + capers + garlic + lemon zest + olive oil
- parsley + garlic + chili flake
- parsley + garlic + lemon zest
- parsley + garlic + olive oil + parmesan cheese + vinegar
- parsley + lemon juice + olive oil + parmesan cheese
What pairs well with parsley?
Generally, parsley pairs well with vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins, seeds and nuts. These includes:
- Vegetables: carrots, eggplant, garlic, potatoes, zucchini.
- Poultry: chicken, turkey
- Fish: halibut
- Seafood: clams, mussels, oysters, shrimp
- Oil: hazelnut, walnut, olive oil
- Cheese: parmesan, ricotta
- Salads: with egg, mixed greens, pasta, potato or rice.
Parsley is also commonly used in dips, sauces, soup, salsas, stews, cuisines, pesto, tabbouleh and stuffing.
What herbs and spice go with parsley?
There are a couple of herbs that blend perfectly with parsley. Because it is such a mild taste and does not over power the dish, it can work well with other fines herbs and spices including:
What meat does parsley go with?
Whether boiled, grilled, roasted or fried, parsley can be added to almost all types of meat. Not only for appearance, but it works as important component in a lot of meat dishes from sauces to a fine garnish sprinkled on a steak and backed potato.
The meats that goes with parsley are:
- chicken
- pork
- beef
- veal
- rabbit
- duck
- goose
- turkey
Whether you are serving grilled, broiled, roasted or boiled meats, don’t forget to sprinkle some parsley on top.
What fish goes well with parsley?
Not only meat, fish is great selection that goes well with parsley. Parsley and fish form a perfect duo because of their flexibility and fresh taste.
Types of fish to pair with parsley include:
- halibut
- canned tuna
- tilapia
- salmon
- Alaska pollock
- cod
- catfish
Whether parsley is cooked in a sauce or sprinkled as a garnish, it’s smiles all the way!
What vegetables go well with parsley?
To enhance the flavor of sautéed or baked vegetable, parsley is great flavor boost and decorative garnisher to be used.
The vegetable that goes well with parsley are:
- carrots
- eggplant
- garlic
- potatoes
- avocados
- cauliflower
- fennel
- onions
- parsnips
- peas
- scallions
- shallots
- spinach
- zucchini
What foods go well with parsley?
Parsley can be added to grilled vegetables, stews, soups, stock, salads, roasted potatoes, meatballs, fishcakes, burgers, hot and cold grain dishes, and a whole lot more. It can also be added to smoothies and sauces.
Parsley can be used to make chimichurri sauce, couscous salad, Mediterranean cauliflower salad, Persian herb frittata, gremolata, zucchini noodles, spaghetti, pesto sauce, garlic-swirl rolls and several meat and fish dishes.
Most of the dishes that go well with parsley are:
- Egg dishes
- Southern French and Italian cuisine
- Pasta and pasta sauce
- Tomatoes and tomato sauce
- Bouquet garni, which are mixed with bay leaf, marjoram, and thyme
- Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Moroccan cuisine
- Toss with vinaigrette or vinegar, balsamic is great addition for dressing.
Eat With Parsley: Conclusion
Gone are the days when people used an orange slice and sprig of parsley for garnishing. Try adding some parsley if you want to take your meal to the next level in flavor, color, and aroma.
This essential herb brings out a bright, slightly bitter and herbaceous taste. From salads to lightly flavoring meats such as fish and chicken or pasta sauce, parsley has a multitude of salivary options.
Parsley has a mild and sweet flavor making it a darling for most dishes since it does not overpower their taste. Therefore, it pairs well with bulgar wheat, garlic, butter, and lemon juice or zest depending on the recipe.
From vegetables to seafood of any type, oil, cheese, and salads, a bunch of parsley is useful in many ways. Simply sprinkle on roasted carrots or eggplant to enhance the earthy flavor, and any breakfast inspired egg dish tastes like heaven on every bite.
On top of that, parsley works well with other herbs, the most popular herbs being basil and mint. When well planned and thought out, parsley is key ingredient to Middle Eastern and Moroccan cuisine as well.
As you can see, parsley has a variety of uses that you really can’t go wrong with. Whether you sprinkle over the top as a colorful garnish or it serves as the primary ingredient in a sauce, parsley pairs well with a multitude of different cuisines and dishes.