Sorrel: What It Is and How to Cook It

Yet many people walk right past sorrel without knowing what to do with it, even though it’s really easy to use. I’ll show you how to choose it, prepare it, and cook with it and what to use instead if you can’t find any.

What Is Sorrel?

If you’ve searched for sorrel in the US, you may have found two completely different things. There’s sorrel the leafy green — also sold as French sorrel or garden sorrel — which is what this guide is about. And there’s sorrel the drink, the deep red Caribbean beverage made from dried hibiscus. Delicious, but a different plant entirely.

The French sorrel is a plant with green leaves that look a bit like spinach. It is a perennial and grows easily in gardens. On the palate, sorrel has a tart, lemony, almost sharp flavor when eaten raw. This tartness comes from the oxalic acid it naturally contains. It has a similar flavor profile to rhubarb.

That tartness is exactly what makes it so useful in the kitchen, and it’s why sorrel is so often paired with fish, like in the French dish salmon with sorrel sauce.

When to Find Sorrel and How to Choose It

In the Northern hemisphere, fresh sorrel is usually available in the spring and early summer—roughly from April through July. You’ll find it mainly at farmers’ markets, from local growers, and sometimes in organic grocery stores. It’s also becoming increasingly common to find it frozen.

Choose leaves that are bright green and tender, with no yellowed edges or brown spots. The younger the leaves, the more tender they are and the less sharp they taste.

If, like me, you love it, the best thing to do is to plant some. Sorrel is a perennial; it grows very well in a pot on a balcony and comes back every year without you having to do a thing.

How to Store Sorrel

Sorrel is quite delicate once picked, so it’s best to use it quickly. Here’s how you can store it until then:

• In the refrigerator: two to three days, in the vegetable drawer, wrapped in a damp dish towel. Don’t wash it before storing it; it will rot faster.
• In the freezer: That’s what I do when I have too much. Wash it, remove the stems, cut it into strips, and put it in a freezer bag. It keeps for a year, and you can use it right away without thawing it.

How to Prepare Sorrel (Step-by-Step)

1. Wash it in plenty of cold water, then dry it thoroughly.
2. Remove the large central rib from each leaf.
3. Stack the leaves, roll them up like a cigar, and cut them into wide strips. This is called a chiffonnade.
4. Then add it directly to your sauces or soups, preferably toward the end of cooking.

Don’t hesitate to use plenty— sorrel shrinks just like spinach when cooked. With about 7 oz (200 g) of raw leaves, you’ll end up with just three tablespoons once they’ve wilted.

How To Cook A Sorrel Sauce Without Curdling

In many recipes, sorrel is combined with cream to mellow its tartness. And there’s a risk that the cream will curdle because of the sorrel’s acidity.

To prevent this from happening to you, it’s essential to add the sorrel over very low heat or after removing the pan from the heat—and especially never to a boiling sauce.

Two things to keep in mind: the richer and more reduced your cream is—and therefore the fattier it is—the less likely it is to separate. And if it does separate despite all that, whisk in a tablespoon of cold cream off the heat—in most cases, that will fix it.

Why Does Sorrel Lose Its Color When Cooked?

It’s true that it’s a bit of a shame—unlike spinach, sorrel loses its green color very quickly. Once again, this is due to its acidity, which breaks down the chlorophyll in the leaves. In less than a minute, the nice green leaves turn into a somewhat dull olive green.

That’s normal, and there’s no way to avoid it. This isn’t a sign that it’s overcooked, and it doesn’t affect the taste at all.

Recipe Ideas Using Sorrel

Here are a few ideas on recipes where you can add fresh sorrel:

• With fish: in a cream and white wine sauce, as in salmon with sorrel sauce.
• As a soup: the famous sorrel soup, with potatoes to mellow the flavor.
• In a quiche: use it instead of or along with spinach, as in my mushroom and spinach quiche.
• In an omelet: similar to my spinach and feta omelet.
• With pasta: by substituting the spinach in my spaghetti with mushrooms and spinach.
• Raw, in a salad: You can add a few raw strips mixed in with other salad greens, or in my French potato salad.
• In mashed potatoes, chopped into small pieces to add flavor.

How To Replace Sorrel?

If you can’t find any, use baby spinach leaves and add two generous tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, plus a little zest. You’ll get that tangy flavor that’s so characteristic of sorrel.

FAQ About Sorrel

More Recipes

• Salmon with Sorrel Sauce
• Mushroom and Spinach Quiche
• Spinach and Feta Omelet
• Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Spinach
• Shortcrust pastry for quiches