If dill weed has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 876 recipes to try it in.
Dill weed is the soft, feathery green frond of the dill plant, the herb that defines pickles, gravlax, and a cool cucumber salad. The name "dill weed" simply separates the leaf from dill seed, the flatter spice harvested from the same plant.
The leaf tastes fresh and grassy with a clean, slightly anise-like lift. It pairs almost reflexively with fish, cucumber, potato, and anything sour and creamy, which is why it anchors so much Northern and Eastern European cooking.
Dill is delicate, so it goes in late. Stir it into a warm dish off the heat or scatter it raw at the end.
Boil it and the flavor flattens to almost nothing.
It is the herb for fish above all. Fold it into a salmon mixture like Old Fashioned Salmon Loaf or Basic Best Salmon Loaf, lay it over a fillet, or build a quick sauce for Maple-dill Roasted Salmon.
Beyond fish it loves dairy and potato. Think a Dill Dip in Rye Bread, a bowl of Creamless Leek & Potato Soup (Pressure Cooked), or a sour-cream dressing for cucumbers.
Baking is the exception. Worked into a dough, as in Cheddar Dill Bread, dill holds its flavor through the oven because it is protected inside the loaf.
Strip the soft fronds from the tough lower stems before chopping, and cut them gently with a sharp knife so they do not bruise into a paste.
Dill's classic partners are salmon, cucumber, yogurt, sour cream, potato, mustard, lemon, and pickling vinegar. Its most famous homes are tzatziki and the deli dill pickle, with cured gravlax close behind.
It also lifts an egg salad or a beet dish, and it carries a Quick & Easy Dill Mustard.
The common mistake is cooking it too long. Added early to a simmering soup or sauce, dill fades to a dull whisper, so reserve most of it for the final minute or the bowl.
The second is overdoing it. Dill is assertive and can dominate fast, turning a dish one-note. Start with less than you think and add more, because you cannot pull it back out.
Fresh dill has a flavor that nothing copies exactly, but a few herbs cover the gap. Fennel fronds are the closest match, with the same feathery look and a related anise note; use them one for one.
Tarragon brings a similar fresh, faintly anise quality and works in creamy sauces and chicken, though it leans more licorice, so use a little less. For color and freshness without the anise character, chervil or a little parsley will do in a salad.
Dried dill is a reasonable backup when fresh is gone. Use about one teaspoon dried for every tablespoon of fresh, and add it a touch earlier so it has a moment to rehydrate.
Choose bunches with bright green, springy fronds and no yellowing or dark wet patches. A strong fresh aroma is the best sign of a good bunch.
Store dill like a small bouquet. Stand the stems in a glass with a little water, tent a bag over the top, and refrigerate, where it stays good for about a week. Wash it only right before use, since wet fronds turn to slime quickly.
Dill is famous for losing its punch when dried, more than most herbs, so dried dill is a faded version of the fresh leaf. Freeze-dried dill keeps its flavor far better and holds for a few months.
To save garden dill, chop and freeze it loose on a tray, then bag it. Use it straight from frozen in cooked dishes where the softer texture does not matter.
One last note. Dill seed, the spice from the same plant, is a separate ingredient with a sharper, caraway-like flavor for pickling and rye breads.
Specific kinds of dill weed and the recipes that use them.
Dill seed is the dried seed of the same dill plant whose feathery green leaves we call dill weed. The plant flowers and sets seed, and those flat, oval, tan-brown seeds are harvested and dried.
They look a little like caraway but are flatter and lighter, edged with a thin papery rim.
The flavor is the surprise. Where the fresh fronds are grassy and bright, the seed is warmer and far more pungent, with a sharp anise-and-caraway edge that fills your mouth. A pinch goes a long way.
Fresh dill leaves (sometimes called "dill weed" to distinguish it from dill seed) are used as herbs, mainly in the Baltic and central Asia.
Bunches can be found in well stocked markets in the fresh produce section along with other fresh herbs.
Its fern-like leaves are aromatic, and are used to flavor many foods, such as gravlax (cured salmon), borscht and other soups, and pickles (where the dill flower is sometimes used).
For more information see: dill weed
Dried dill leaves (sometimes called "dill weed" to distinguish it from dill seed) are used as herbs, mainly in the Baltic and central Asia.
Its fern-like leaves are aromatic, and are used to flavor many foods, such as gravlax (cured salmon), borscht and other soups, and pickles (where the dill flower is sometimes used).
For more information see: dill weed
Where to find dill weed: Dill weed is usually found in the spices section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Dill weed is a member of the Spices and Herbs US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 3 grams |
| 1 teaspoon | 1 grams |
There are 910 recipes using and its varieties.
Get ready to whip up a vibrant, herb-packed dish that’s bursting with flavor and perfect for any meal of the day! This Persian-inspired frittata is a fresh twist on the classic omelet, blending tender Swiss chard, fragrant dill, and zesty scallions into a fluffy, golden masterpiece. Baked to perfection, it’s easy to make and even easier to love. Serve it with warm flatbread, a sprinkle of feta, or a side of crisp veggies for a delightful meal. Let’s dive into this green goodness!
No-cook chunky gazpacho with crushed and diced tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, and a triple citrus-vinegar punch. Vegan, gluten-free, ready in 10 minutes plus chill.
This creamy and flavorful new potato salad is a great side dish with any summer BBQs.
A velvety chilled soup made with strained yogurt, ripe tomatoes, fresh dill, and a bright splash of white wine vinegar. This no-cook vegetarian recipe is refreshing, tangy, and ready to serve after a few hours in the fridge.
My intention was to combine flavors of shrimp and beef inside the meat as well as inside the sauce..
Once upon a time I was reading a magazine article about good cooking. The journalist tried to convince me not to use some combinations of ingredients. One of the "banned" combinations mentioned was green and black olives. And so this soup was born to enjoy me.
A beef vegetable soup made with homemade stock made one day ahead, featuring tender shredded beef, diced vegetables, and fresh herbs. A comforting and flavorful meal loaded with beefy goodness.
Fresh tomato soup with a bouquet garni of parsley, bay leaf, celery, thyme, and marjoram, pureed smooth with caramelized onion and a butter roux. Topped with sour cream and fresh dill.
All veggies are young, fresh and full of spring garden aroma. Is there anything more lovely?
Mediterranean herb chili burgers blend ground beef with chopped tomato, black olives, garlic, dill, lemon zest, and chili powder. A grilled patty with serious global flavor.
Flaky biscuit pockets stuffed with crumbled feta, chopped green olives, dill, and a squeeze of lemon. Baked golden at 400F in just 10 minutes for a savory Greek-style appetizer.
Sour cream and herb drop biscuits skip the rolling and cutting for a quick savory biscuit dotted with fresh dill, chives, or scallions. Tender, tangy, ready in 30 minutes from bowl to oven.
Pork shoulder in chanterelle sauce over buckwheat: tender pressure-cooked pork in a fragrant wild-mushroom sauce with herbs, spooned over nutty buckwheat. A rustic, comforting Eastern European plate.
Fillet of sole sautéd in herbed butter. Very quick and easy. Serve with carrots and snow peas to make it a meal.
A no-mayo potato salad tossed with smoky grilled corn, fresh dill, and a grainy mustard vinegar dressing. Light, tangy, and vegan, the perfect cookout side that won't wilt in the summer heat.
Quick, easy and delicious. The creamy potato salad was a great side dish to serve with dilly salmon, and we had all the goodness our bodies needed as well. A perfect dinner on a busy weekday.
Cold yogurt gazpacho with grated cucumber, fresh mint, dill, and garlic. A no-cook chilled soup inspired by Bulgarian tarator that's ready after a 2-hour chill.
I put it on lettuce, eat it with pita chips, or serve it with meat. Always have some plump kalamatas on hand when eating it. So delicious to dunk them in the sauce.
Open-faced bacon, Swiss cheese, and tomato sandwiches on toasted rye with dill mayo, melted under the microwave in 90 seconds. A quick, hot lunch ready in 10 minutes flat.
Grama's dill pickles are a classic hot-pack brine of white wine vinegar, water, and pickling salt poured over fresh cucumbers with sprigs of dill. Crunchy old-school pickles, ready after a few weeks of curing.
A quick, easy and delicious lunch or dinner when you feel too lazy to cook up a storm! Place the yummy salad in between two slices of toasted whole grain bread to make a nutritious meal.
Smoked salmon and cream cheese rolled up in flour tortillas with fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon, then sliced into bite-sized pinwheels. A make-ahead appetizer that's ready when you are.
An easy classic combination of diced ham, potatoes and cheese with a tangy sauce.
Chilled spinach yogurt soup with potato, dill, and a nutmeg finish. Bright green, tangy, low-fat, and ready for hot weather dinners or a cool starter.
great dish when it is hot outside and/or inside.. sometimes a main dish with separately served potatoes, often with meat or sausages.. I like to serve it as a side dish to grilled food.. similar to Lithuanian chilled beat soup, which is fantastic, however they add a lot of cream, hard boiled eggs and do not add radish rather..
Fresh roma tomatoes, fragrant dill, and a kick of cayenne come together in this silky pureed soup you can serve warm or chilled. Ready in 40 minutes with just 101 calories per bowl.
Pizza with pizzaz, surprise your family with this unique version of a pizza. Carmelized onions as a base instead of the traditional sauce topped with potato slices, cheddar and dill.
I cooked this soup 3 times lately, and the best base is turkey- chicken stock in my opinion. Just a summer soup made of many stems.
An easy way to create a tasteful appetizer, similar to the way it is done in Scandinavia or Northern Germany. Preferably you want to use wild caught salmon when it is available or catch-it yourself. The usual caveats when you deal with fresh fish apply. Process it immediately. I had good experience with wild Alaska sockeye salmon which is frozen for a while before it comes into the shop.
Very tasty indeed! Super quick and easy to prepare yet somewhat sophisticated and rich tasting. A wedge of lemon went nicely with the quesadillas.
I remember this soup from my childhood. Very creamy and thick, full of dill weed. Let it become thin to feel more intense flavor of chanterelle mushrooms.
This easy crescent roll vegetable pizza is a favorite go-to for potlucks, showers, or wherever there's a hungry crowd. Use leftover veggies or your lastest garden harvest for toppings.
Beat the winter this year with a savory Chicken Pot Pie filled a variety of spices vegetables that can satisfy anyone's hunger!
These lovely latkes are made with zucchini and potato which are both in season, they are so tasty, served with homemade fresh Tzatziki, it can be a side dish or even a light dinner!
here and there they call this soup green borsht or green krupnik.. very popular in Latvia but they cook it in different way than my proposition..
Nice way to dress up peas. The mushrooms, water chestnuts and celery add some needed texture. Just a hint of curry adds some nice warmth but is not in any way overpowering and the chicken bouillon powder infuses the flavor.
Delicate, spring soup which is my rendition of the traditional Silesian soup called oberiba. Both recipes differ a lot, so this one shouldn't be named as Silesians did.
Chocked full of fresh mushrooms, dill and parsley, this soup has extremely well-balanced flavors and is very satisfying.
Classic Russian Olivier salad with boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, chicken, apples, and orange in a creamy egg yolk, mayonnaise, and sour cream dressing. Chilled overnight for deep, layered flavor.
Persian lamb meatballs (kufteh) blend ground lamb with bulgur, pine nuts, fresh dill, mint, cumin, and coriander, then bake until juicy. A traditional Iranian main dish.
Delicious cornbread, and the texture was great. I used whole wheat flour, and the bread still came out soft and fluffy. Used 2 large eggs instead of 3 egg whites, 2% milk, and 2% yogurt instead of fat-free version, which definitely gave the cornbread a richer taste. Served it with homemade kale, potato and white navy bean soup. A delicious and hearty meal.
There are hundreds versions of this very Polish soup. Here you have an original proposition of mine. I used to cook it on the base of my favorite duck and chicken stock. The cream is a must to create wonderful pink color. Optionally you may add a quarter or a half of hard boiled egg to your bowl. By the way, I change my recipe sometimes, for instance by adding dried California prunes instead of sugar, or by adding some white vinegar instead of lemon juice.
I make triangles and leave out the mizithra or cottage cheese (too wet for these). Great appetizers if you make them small.
A hearty vegetarian cheese tortellini soup recipe with stovetop and optional super fast microwave directions. Packed with veggies.
The addition of ingredients like curry powder and grated Parmesan make this salad special. Great for sandwiches, on crackers as an appetizer or served on lettuce leaves.
While Loomis says that this salad does not keep well and shouldn't be counted on for leftovers, she says that it's one of the most popular potato salads she's ever made.
