If you’ve never heard of garlic scapes before, let me introduce you to this flavorful (but hard-to-come-by) ingredient! They’re the young leaves of a garlic bulb and taste like a cross between garlic, chives, and scallions with a slightly spicy and sweet flavor. When used in these garlic scape recipes, they lend wonderful savory flavors to pesto, seafood dishes, risotto, and bone-warming soups. If you managed to score some early in the season, these garlic scape recipes are an easy way to infuse a lot of flavor into your meals.
1. Stir-Fried Garlic Scapes
This stir-fried garlic scapes dish is easy to prepare and works as a flavorful vegetarian main course. Garlic scapes taste mild with notes of garlic, chives, and scallions with a texture similar to asparagus. When fried, they pair perfectly with punchy Asian seasonings such as sesame seeds, soy sauce, and a little brown sugar for sweetness. Toss in chicken for added protein, and serve with white rice.
2. Garlic Scape Pesto
How can pesto get even better? By adding garlic scapes in place of traditional garlic! Not only do the garlic scapes give this simple pesto a punch of extra flavors, but it also makes it a much more vibrant shade of green. Throw your ingredients (pine nuts, oil, Asiago cheese, seasoning, and garlic scapes) into a blender. Once it’s smooth and fragrant, pair this pesto with your favorite pasta. You can store extra pesto in the fridge for up to a week or freeze it into pesto ice cubes.
3. Tempura Garlic Scapes with Garlic Scape Aioli
These tempura garlic scapes with garlic scape aioli are only for the extreme garlic lovers (which is everyone, right?) They’re rich in garlicky flavors but mild enough that you won’t drive everyone away with your garlic breath. Fry your garlic scapes in a rich tempura batter that crisps golden brown and crunchy. While they’re great on their own, they serve more as a vehicle for the garlic scape aioli.
4. Grilled Garlic Scapes with Lemon and Parmesan
Are you tired of the same old side dishes of roasted veggies and potatoes? This grilled garlic scapes with lemon and parmesan is a super easy side dish to whip up and pairs perfectly with any protein. Toss garlic scapes with fragrant lemon juice, parmesan, and butter (very similar to cooking asparagus), and grill for only a few minutes per side. Cook on high heat for crispy garlic scapes that are crunchy and not mushy. No one wants mushy garlic scapes!
5. Garlic Scape Pasta
If you love pasta with butter and garlic, you must try this garlic scape pasta recipe. Replacing garlic with garlic scapes adds sweet, spicy, and onion-flavored notes to this simple pasta dish without extra effort! Marry chopped garlic scapes in a pan with plenty of butter, and then add cooked pasta. It’s light and bright and tastes like spring on a plate! While this is a vegetarian dish, you can also all grilled chicken or salmon for extra protein.
6. Garlic Scape Herb Compound Butter
Are your dinner proteins becoming boring? If you need a way to infuse robust flavors into your chicken, beef, or seafood main dishes, try this garlic scape herb compound butter. It pairs flavorful butter and garlic scapes with fragrant fresh herbs such as basil and parsley. Serve it with roasted veggies, chicken, or salmon, or slather it on a slice of bread!
7. Garlic Scape Stir-Fry with Dried Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum)
This recipe is insanely flavorful and only requires a short list of cooking ingredients. It pairs dried shrimp and garlic scapes with a simple sauce of sugar, soy sauce, and rice wine. It doesn’t have a lot of ingredients in this recipe because it doesn’t need them. The shrimp cooks up savory and delicious, while the garlic scapes add spicy, garlicky notes. The simple sauce amplifies those rich flavors for a truly satisfying meal.
8. Sausage And Garlic Scape Risotto
This sausage and garlic scape risotto is the ultimate comfort food. The rich sausage pairs perfectly with fragrant garlic scapes and come together in a creamy risotto. Don’t let risotto intimate you! It’s easy to make, as long as you have a little patience and time to stir your rice constantly. This dish comes together in 40 minutes but tastes like something you spent all day preparing.
9. Savory Frittata with Potato, Shiitake, and Garlic Scapes
Look no further if you need a quick and easy meal for a hectic weeknight. While frittatas primarily appear on the breakfast or brunch table, they’re also great for dinner. Rich and aromatic garlic scapes marry so well with rustic potatoes and mushrooms. There’s no meat in this frittata, but it’s just as filling as a meat-heavy dish! Prepare all your ingredients on the stovetop, and then transfer them to the oven. Once in the oven, it cooks up golden and delicious in just 20 minutes.
10. Potato Garlic Scape Soup
This vegetarian potato garlic scape soup takes the classic flavors of potato soup and turns up the flavor dial. Adding garlic scapes in place of garlic adds massive flavors that blend perfectly in this creamy soup. It comes together in 35 minutes and is satisfying enough to work as a complete meal. Garnish your hearty soup with fresh dill for a punch of brightly herb flavor, and serve with a side of crusty bread. Click on a star to rate it!
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