If you’ve been to the market recently, you might have seen bunches of strange curly green things that look a little like crazy green onions. They are actually garlic scapes: young garlic bulbs that have been allowed to grow flower shoots and harvested before they bloom. What can you do with them? Here’s my guide on How to Cook Garlic Scapes and a selection of my favorite recipes.
What are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the curled green shoots that grow from garlic bulbs in late spring and early summer. They are the long stems that will eventually result in a garlic flower at the top. Farmers usually trim them back, to encourage the plant to put its energy into developing a larger bulb, meaning they are less commonly found in the markets. They are usually sold ready-trimmed, in a bundle of curly green shoots, although you may sometimes see them appear with a small bulb attached, looking very similar to a bunch of green onions. Their scarcity has led to them becoming a prized ingredient by many chefs. They have a mild, and less pungent garlic flavor, with a green, grassy note similar to scallions, and a tender-crisp texture.
How to Cook Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are versatile little beasts and you can cook them in many ways. Sautéing and stir-frying are the most usual methods, but you can also use them as a garnish, grill them, or even roast them to add a fresh green garlic aroma to your dishes. Here are nine of my favorite recipes using garlic scapes:
1. Garlic Scape Pesto
What a great way to bring the garlic flavor into your pesto without it being too overwhelming or pungent. This pesto is fragrant and grassy, the perfect tasting notes for spring.
Recipe by: Heartbeet Kitchen
2.Garlic Scape Butter
Herb and garlic butters are a time-honored way to add richness and flavor to all sorts of dishes. Garlic scape butter brings a fresh green flavor along with the garlic. Fantastic on steak.
Recipe by: Art of Natural Living
3. Garlic Scape Pasta
If you’re looking for a variation on aglio olio this is the recipe for you! Diced garlic scapes match with olive oil and parmesan for a breathtakingly tasty and simple spring pasta.
Recipe by: Umami Girl
4. Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes
A very simple way to prepare garlic scapes in the Korean tradition. This recipe adds walnuts and sesame seeds for a delicious stir-fried side dish.
Recipe by: Korean Bapsang
5. Tempura Garlic Scapes
Beautiful fusion recipe here, with a classic Japanese tempura batter for the garlic scapes, paired with a cream goat cheese dip. An elegant and interesting appetizer.
Recipe by: Katie at the Kitchen Door
6. Pickled Garlic Scapes
Want to enjoy garlic scapes outside of their short season? Preserve them to eat in the future months, with this simple pickled garlic scapes recipes, and add them to recipes all year round.
Recipe by: Running to the Kitchen
7. Charred Garlic Scapes
Blacken the garlic scapes slightly on the grill for some intense caramelization from the Maillard effect. Parsley butter softens the garlicky flavor to yield a tasty snack.
Recipe by: It’s a Veg World After All
8. Oven-Roasted Garlic Scapes
Roasting might lose you the bright green color, but the extra flavor more than makes up for it! This recipe brings out the mild garlic taste and intensifies it.
Recipe by: Chasing the Seasons
9. Garlic Scapes with Eggs
A fantastic Chinese breakfast dish, scrambling eggs together with garlic scapes, ginger and green onions. Soy sauce and oyster sauce completes the picture.
Recipe by: Omnivore’s Cookbook
Conclusion
Keep an eye out this spring for the curly green shoots at your local farmers market. Now you know how to cook garlic scapes, you’re going to want to make the most of their short season, and eat as many as you can before the summer starts! Let me know what’s your favorite way to cook garlic scapes.
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