“The first time I saw microgreens, I thought, ‘How adorable!’ And while they are cute, new research shows that they’re also quite nutritious.” (Shape)

“if you throw a big bunch of microgreens on anything, that's a pretty good shot of vitamins.” (NPR)

“Microgreens offer a big punch of flavor in a compact, almost magical size.” (Chef Nathan Lyon in Seattle Times)

 

“Microgreens,” explains Jamie Simpson, the executive chef of the Culinary Vegetable Institute, “are really an extension of your dish as you build your layers of flavor. Garnish serves as an accent and pop of flavor, but microgreens are incredible additions of flavors.”

Chef Jamie recalls the first time he ever saw a microgreen and that was when he was working at the Charleston Grill in South Carolina. “The microgreen was from The Chef’s Garden,” he shares, “and it was a magical moment. I didn’t even know these miniature choices existed. I remember that it was a sprouted seed of fennel that introduced me to the world of microgreens.”



And, because the microgreens from The Chef’s Garden are so rich in flavor, less truly can be more. “You can add three or four individual leaves and sprouts,” Jamie says, “to get multiple benefits in balance, texture and color, along with the most important factor: flavor.”

Jamie admits that his favorite microgreen is celery. “The flavor is so true, it’s even better tasting than the full-sized product,” he says. “It serves as the perfect herb, so clean.” His second favorite? Thyme. “Just one single, incredibly aromatic leaf of thyme adds so much flavor, and the diners may not even realize where that flavor is coming from.” And, he also shares the favorite of Culinary Vegetable Institute Chef Matt Ward. “It’s micro lemongrass. It has all of the flavor of lemongrass but it isn’t woody, so there is no straining after it’s added to a dish.”



Although Jamie doesn’t use microgreens in every dish he makes, he says there isn’t one single dish he can think of that couldn’t include microgreens. “There is no product this versatile,” he says, “across the spectrum of the culinary world.”

Ways in which he uses microgreens, specifically, include:

• Adding them when he needs a “little bit of salt and pepper, an accent in a certain direction”
• To lighten up dishes that would otherwise be “too dark and/or heavy”
• To add “rich, robust flavors for balance” in lighter dishes
• Dressing them lightly with emulsion such as olive oil or sunflower oil to add interest to the plate

“I love how microgreens are so consistent,” he adds. “They come straight from the farm with no prep required. Kale is kale, sunflower is sunflower, broccoli is broccoli, perfect little representations of what they are.”