Cilantro is a herb from the leaves of the herb Coriandrum sativum. It is very delicate, so you will want to know how to store fresh cilantro.

This plant may be a member of the parsley family, and also the herb is additionally referred to as Chinese parsley and Mexican parsley

In the U.K. and a few different places, you may see cilantro referred to as coriander leaves. The leaves look very similar to parsley, growing on long, tender stems. The roots of the plant are edible and utilized in some dishes.

How to store cilantro with salt

If you wonder how you can store cilantro in the fridge, salt is one of the best alternatives to make it last longer. How is cilantro preserved with salt? You will see with these steps:

Clean and dry the cilantro with absorbent kitchen paper.

Chop the stems and leaves of this herb as fine as you can and mix them with salt. Add two tablespoons of salt for every half cup of this herb.

Place the mixture in a glass container and, after covering it, store it in the fridge.

When you want to use the cilantro salt, you will simply substitute the necessary salt in any recipe for an identical amount of this mixture, so you will provide the same amount of salt but with the touch of the cilantro flavor.

While cilantro salt will last almost indefinitely in the fridge, you can store it in a dry space.

How to store fresh cilantro in the freezer

Frozen cilantro is a good way to preserve it for a long time, but you should do it properly so that it does not damage when it freezes or melts. Storing it in the refrigerator in a sealed bag is usually not enough as it will not work properly when collected. Follow these steps to store fresh cilantro in the refrigerator:

You must dilute the cilantro so that the decaying enzymes die. To do this, first, boil water in a pot.

Prepare a container that contains ice water.

When the water in the pot is boiling, add the cilantro for several seconds.

Quickly remove the herbs from the pot and submerge them in the ice water. This way you will eliminate the heat and stop them from cooking.

Pat the cilantro dry with a paper towel or clean cloth.

Separate the leaves and stems of the cilantro to finish drying. Group them into small individual bunches. In this way, you can get the exact portions of cilantro that you need at a given time.

Place the leaves in bags that close hermetically and freeze them horizontally. This keeps them as loose as possible so they do not get crushed.

Freezing the cilantro in bunches means you don’t have to defrost a lot at the same time and waste what you don’t need.

How to store cilantro in water

Another method with which you will know how to preserve the cilantro is by soaking the stems in water. With the following steps you can see how it’s done:

Remove the stems and leaves from the cilantro bouquet and wash away any traces of soil if you see any.

Place the cilantro on a paper towel or absorbent kitchen paper to let the leaves dry.

Fill a glass container with water and add the cilantro, ensuring that the only stems are covered, but especially the roots if they still have them. This way they will last longer. The leaves should be above the water.

If you are going to use the cilantro in the next few days you can leave it like this on the kitchen counter. If you want to store them for a little longer, store them in the fridge and change the water every one or two days. This way, the cilantro should stay fresh for about 2 weeks.

How to store fresh cilantro in ice cubes

Another option for storing frozen cilantro to preserve is to turn them into ice cubes.

Blanch the stems and leaves of the cilantro, as we have explained before, and chop them finely.

Put some in each of the holes in the ice cube tray.

Fill the tray with water carefully so that the cilantro does not fall out.

Put the ice cube tray on the freezer tray and wait for the ice cubes to solidify.

You can easily defrost the cilantro ice cubes when you need them.

How to keep fresh cilantro by wrapping it

Finally, we advise you to keep cilantro for a week or to 10 days with this simple technique: you can wrap it in aluminum foil or a cotton cloth.

Wash the fresh cilantro with water and pat it dry with kitchen paper.

Lay the bouquet on a clean muslin cloth or piece of aluminum foil.

Roll the cloth or foil vertically so that the bouquet is well covered.

If you have left enough space, you can fold the ends so that the cilantro does not become crushed and is better preserved.

Store it in the fridge and you will see that it stays that way for many days.

These methods of storing fresh coriander for longer will also work for related herbs such as spirit weed or culantro. As you can keep the cilantro fresh, you can use it in many different dishes.

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