Perhaps you have heard of people cooking and eating nettles, or maybe stinging nettles being edible is complete news to you. Well, springtime is the ideal time to go foraging and trying out some stinging nettle recipes, perfect if you want to experiment with new ingredients and enjoy yourself outdoors.
Stinging nettles were brought to British shores by the Romans and they have been eaten in the UK for centuries. Cornish Yarg cheese is traditionally wrapped in nettle leaves and there is even a stinging nettle eating contest in Dorset where brave contestants attempt to eat as many raw nettles as possible. We don’t recommend trying that yourselves!
Read our tips and tricks below to learn all about cooking and foraging stinging nettles.
How to pick nettles safely
Wear gloves! The most important thing to remember when picking stinging nettles is to bring a pair of thick gloves with you, gardening or washing up gloves are ideal. We also recommend bringing some scissors along, so you can simply cut through the stem and not struggle pulling the plant out.
Pick nettles in remote areas, try to avoid picking nettles which are close to the roadside or pathways to make sure the nettles are clean. When picking the nettles go for the fresh, younger leaves as these are more tender and will taste the best. Avoid picking older nettles which are flowering.
When picked, transport the nettles home separately from any belongings you have on you, this avoids touching them any more than needed and reduces the risk of stings!
How to prepare stinging nettles
First, rinse the nettles in cold water to clean them and remove any hangers-on from outside. Wetting the nettles makes it more difficult to get stung, so they can be handled without gloves when wet. There is a small chance of still being stung when the nettles are wet, so continue to wear gloves if you are cautious.
To stop them from stinging you completely you need to neutralise the stinging acid. To do this blanch the nettles in boiling water. Don’t eat stinging nettles raw. Cooking them breaks down the acid which causes stings, so even if you are planning on putting them in a pesto where the ingredients don’t usually need to be cooked, blanch the nettles in some boiling water first. When they are safe to handle, strip the leaves from the stems and cook them to your recipe.
What goes well with stinging nettles?
Nettles are often cooked in soup and are tasty paired with potatoes. Nettles can also be sautéd, made into purées or used in pestos. Stinging nettles have health benefits too, they are rich in iron as well as vitamins A and C.
Nettles have a distinct, deep flavour which is quite similar to spinach. They make a tasty replacement in dishes where spinach is often used, like spanakopita pie, stir fry or even a saag paneer.
Stinging nettles are also tasty paired with another springtime foraged favourite, wild garlic! Read more about foraging for wild garlic in our other blog post.
Take a look at some tasty nettle recipes shared by our community!
MKs 3-minute nettle and walnut pesto
Samantha B’s nettle and mint pesto
If you cook one of these delicious nettle recipes, or any other nettle recipe on Cookpad, don't forget to take a photo and share it on the recipe as a Cooksnap. We can't wait to see your photos, happy cooking!