Lemon Basil

[Toliver]

Last Saturday I was buying some tomatoes from one of the farmers in our local Farmer's Market and I asked if she happened to have any basil. She said she did but that she also had some lemon basil and would I like to try that instead. I ended up making a great tomato salad with the lemon basil (and the last of my Vidalia onions). The flavor of the lemon basil is like regular basil, at first, but with a citrus aftertaste, kind of a faint lemony kick at the end.

I am going back this weekend to find if she has more of it. Does anyone have any suggestions of what kind of dishes I can use this herb in? I was thinking it would probably do well in a rice dish (rather than anything with potatoes) and it would probably rock with chicken.

Thanks in advance!

[bloviatrix]

What about added to a charmoula? I bet it would be great rubbed on fish.

[Toliver]

Ooooh, that does sound good! I have a recipe for a charmoula sauce but the recipe calls for lemon juice. Should completely forgo the addition of the lemon juice since the basil is lemony? Or does the charmoula need the acid of the lemon juice?

Can I ask what your recipe is? Charmoula recipes seem to vary as much as marinades do.

[bloviatrix]

Here's the charmoula I use:

1 bunch parsley

1 bunch cilantro

garlic

juice of 2 lemons

1 tbs paprika

2 tbs cumin

1/4 cup EVOO

Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse first 5 ingredients in food processor, then slowly add the EVOO.

I tend to use a lot of cilantro.

Maybe try substituting the lemon basil for the parsley and using the juice of only one lemon?

[pim]

Lemon Basil is very similar to a Thai herb called Bai Mang-Luck. It goes terrifically well with green curry, especially chicken green curry.

Try garnishing your green curry with a handful, you'll immdediately see what I mean.

I can give you a recipe for green curry if you'd like.

[Toliver]

I can give you a recipe for green curry if you'd like.

Thank you, that would be great!

[Toliver]

The bad news is that when I went back to my local farmer's market, the same farmer said she didn't have time to pick the lemon basil that morning. The good news was that she did, however, have cilantro which I took as a sign (given Bloviatrix's recipe) and purchased it on the spot.

Bloviatrix, your recipe turned out great. I think I added too much cilantro which was a little too "there" in the final outcome. I marinated some red snapper with the charmoula sauce for about 4 hours and then oven baked it. It turned out like something I'd get in a restaurant! I am eager to try it on chicken, too.

I accompanied the charmoula snapper with a side dish of rice with parmesean, butter and sun dried tomatoes and served a tomato salad which was red & yellow tomatoes (that I got that morning at the Farmer's market) with thinly sliced red onion, diced lemon cucumbers (purchased from the same lemon basil farmer...they don't taste like lemons...they are small white/pale yellow skinned cucumbers that are squatty, about the size of lemons....the inner flesh is white and the seeds are a lime-ish green, compact and soft with a sweeter taste than regular cucumbers), garlic, some green pepper, a chiffanade (sp?) of Thai basil with EVOO and basalmic vinager).

Thanks for taking the time to share your recipe!

[bloviatrix]

Glad you enjoyed. Sounds like you had a perfect summer meal.