Recipes
Herb crust
A simple way to transform surplus herbs into a bold, flavourful crust. With just a few ingredients, this herb crust adds colour, texture, and richness to any protein. It works well with lamb, fish, or beef, and this recipe is easily scalable for busy kitchens. It’s great to have in the freezer in case your dish needs a little extra flavour boost.
Serves
Enough to coat 4–6 portions of lamb (or similar protein)
Ingredients
-
100g mixed soft herbs (e.g. parsley, coriander, mint, and oregano, but any herb will work)
-
150g panko breadcrumbs
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150–200g unsalted butter
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1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
Method
Prepare the herbs
Pick the leaves from the herbs, discarding any tough stems. Roughly tear, then rinse well and dry thoroughly.
Blend the base
Add half of the breadcrumbs and the herbs to a blender. Top with more breadcrumbs. Pulse until roughly combined (it doesn’t need to be completely fine). Do not overfill the blender – you can always divide the batch into 2 and combine after. If the texture feels too loose, add more breadcrumbs.
Cook out the mixture
Melt the butter in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Add the herb and breadcrumb mixture, stirring so the butter coats the mixture evenly.
Season and toast
Season with salt and cook gently for 5–8 minutes, stirring regularly. The aim is to remove any rawness from the herbs and lightly toast the breadcrumbs. Add a little more butter if needed to keep the mixture moist.
Set the crust
Line a tray with greaseproof paper and spread the mixture out evenly. Using a fish knife or palette knife, cover with another sheet of greaseproof and very carefully smooth the crust into a uniform layer. This will be very hot. The perfect thickness is 3–4mm.
Chill
Transfer to the freezer (or fridge) until fully set and firm.
To use
Cut the chilled herb crust to fit your protein (e.g. lamb, beef, or fish). Place on top of the cooked meat and return to the oven for 1–2 minutes so the crust melts onto the protein, then finish under a hot grill to lightly colour.
Rest and serve
If using meat, allow it to rest for as long as you cooked it.
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