Smaller than a baby green but larger than a sprout, microgreens are more than just a pretty garnish. Don’t be fooled by their size, as these tiny little leaves are packed with flavour. Therefore, choosing the right micro means taking into consideration the flavour and look they will add to your dish.
Rocket
A spicy addition to any dish that will benefit from a peppery flourish. Rocket microgreens pair well with cheeses such as burrata, parmesan, feta, chevre, blue cheese, gorgonzola, and mozzarella, as well as nuts like walnuts, pine nuts, and pecans, fruits including pears, citrus, berries, melons, and avocados, balsamic vinegar, cucumber, tomato, olives, fennel, and meats including turkey, beef, veal, poultry, and fish.
Coriander
With a sweet, bright citrusy aroma and clean, bold, classic coriander flavour finishing with robust notes of pepper and fresh cut grass microgreen coriander is great for on top of Asian style salads and dishes, on curries, carrot or pumpkin soups and so much more. The micro version lacks the soapy scent that some diners dislike about standard coriander.
Green Shiso
Is aromatic, tender, and slightly crunchy with an earthy flavour with notes of liquorice, mint, clove, basil, and cinnamon. Popular in Asian cuisines, especially Japanese where it is a common garnish on sushi, sashimi, and noodle dishes.
Red Shiso
Purple veined leaves with serrated edges make for a dramatic garnish. These crisp leaves are initially earthy and sweet, but then develop into a spicy and pungent flavour with hints of cumin, basil, anise, and spearmint, with an aroma that is reminiscent of cinnamon and cloves. Red Shiso goes beautifully with fish dishes, especially fried fish and richer fish like salmon and tuna or mixed into a crab and avocado salad.
Amaranth
The smooth leaves are a blend of deep burgundy mixed with dark green hues and are attached to a thin stem that is a vibrant fuchsia. Micro Red Amaranth greens are crisp, tender, and have a mild and sweet, earthy flavour reminiscent of mustard but with much less spice and a delicate grassy finish. Tiny Amaranth pairs well with green apples, blood oranges, carrots, bell peppers, onions, and seafood.
Sango Radish
Smooth, flat, heart shaped tender purple leaves are crisp and succulent with a fresh green and grassy flavour that develops into a milder version of the classic spicy radish bite. Like the peppery Rocket Micro radish pairs well with cheeses such as parmesan cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese, and mozzarella, balsamic vinegar, lemon, mint, cucumber, tomato, olives, garlic, beets, fennel, pears, grapes, prosciutto, and roast beef.
Watercress
These wide, circular-shaped leaves with tender wispy stems are beautifully bright green. With a peppery flavour akin to horseradish, these little leaves have a clean, sharp, spicy feel on the palate that soon dissipates leaving notes of citrus and fresh grass.
Ideal with meats such as duck, smoked fish, and sausages, or fruits that have a tart flavour like the sour cherry. They can also be floated on wonton or egg drop soup or placed in a sandwich for an extra peppery flavour.
Mixes
In addition to the individual varieties there are a number of microgreen mixes available giving you variation in colour, texture and flavour in one scatter
Spring Onion
These feathery wisps offer a distinctly different garnish to the more common leaf micros. The intense spring onion flavour also adds a sweet onion hit. Delicious on eggs, be they scrambled, an omelette or frittata. Also beautiful on fish dishes.
Celery
A micro with a little crunch, it has a sweet, slightly peppery taste and is great in soups, sandwiches and salads.
Beet Mix
A great choice if wanting to add a hit of colour with intense purple stems and green leaves.