Using parsley and thyme in a brine

Question

I have a recipe for a brine that says to include a bunch of parsley when adding the ingredients to the boil. My question is, do I add the parsley whole, with the stems, or should I still separate the leaves?

It also includes thyme so the same question for that, too.

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 22 '19 at 00:15

2

In a brine, I would simply toss in the whole thing, stem and leaves, for parsley. In fact, parsley stems are quite flavorful. Thyme benefits from a bit of bruising to release the aroma and flavor. So, I would roughly strip the leaves, not worrying too much if some stem was included.

answered Oct 22 '19 at 00:15

moscafj

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I thought I had read parsley stems were bitter. – Rob Oct 22 '19 at 00:37
Have you tried them? – moscafj Oct 22 '19 at 00:42
No. Because I was told they were bitter. – Rob Oct 22 '19 at 00:42
Try them...I use them regularly, especially in brines, pestos and salsas. – moscafj Oct 22 '19 at 00:44
I'd use the soft stems for many herbs, like coriander and cilantro for the same reason - flavor. – GdD Oct 23 '19 at 10:27

Using parsley and thyme in a brine

1 Answers1