This recipe for a herb crust is a starting point for you to experiment with flavours depending on what you have available and until it works for you. The herbs I used this time included parsley, sage, thyme, dill and basil because that’s what is currently growing really well in my herb garden. Growing herbs is so rewarding and really worth the effort if you have a sunny spot and some time to make the trek to the nursery. I hate buying herbs from the supermarket and I try to avoid it when I can – it can get expensive and it’s such a waste to throw them out if you don’t manage to use the whole bunch before it sags and wilts. By having pots of herbs on my balcony if I only need a few leaves of sage for saltimbocca then I have it available. At the moment I am growing bay leaves, mint, basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, swiss chard and chillies of yet to be determined heat. I also have a dwarf Meyer lemon tree which currently has a flush of beautifully scented flowers which I am hopeful will turn into a grove of lemons in due course. I’ll keep you posted!
I made this crust to go on top of some white flesh fish, but I think it would go well with roast beef or lamb and possibly salmon or trout as well. I served mine with steamed potatoes and asparagus and it was a fulfilling, healthy dinner for us to share on a balmy evening.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mixed herbs
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 4 tbs olive oil
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- Lemon juice and salt to taste
Method
- Cook the onion gently in a fry pan until golden.
- Add all the ingredients into a blender and whizz into a paste. Add extra olive oil, salt or lemon juice to taste.
- Press onto your protein and bake in the oven until cooked.
