By Samin Nosrat
- Total Time
- 15 minutes for boiled corn, or 1 hour for grilled corn
- Rating
- 4(233)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Green coriander, or the fresh seed of a cilantro plant, is known for its intensely aromatic, slightly citrusy, mildly cilantro-ish flavor. Use it anywhere you’d use cilantro: marinades, dressings, hummus; in stews, soups or braises; in herbed rice; with rice noodles or soba; mixed with oil and drizzled atop poached eggs. In this recipe, a handful of traditional Southeast Asian ingredients — fish sauce, ginger, garlic, chiles and a generous amount of pounded green coriander, of course, are worked into a stick of softened butter. It’s savory and spicy, fragrant and pungent, and the first thing you’ll want to do is slather it all over hot grilled corn. Save the rest of the butter to toss with shellfish or roasted vegetables, or to melt into a bowl of steamed rice. For an extra special treat, brown some of the leftover butter, then toss it with pasta and scallops and a squeeze of lemon.
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2serrano chiles, destemmed and minced
- 3tablespoons green coriander seeds
- ½cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
- 4garlic cloves, finely pounded or grated
- 1tablespoon finely pounded or grated fresh ginger
- 1teaspoon fish sauce
- ½teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 1tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
- Fine sea salt
- 4ears corn, shucked and silk removed
- Coriander flowers, for garnish (optional)
- Lime wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
311 calories; 25 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 340 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
To grill the corn: Heat gas grill, or prepare a bed of hot coals, then heat and clean grates. To boil the corn: Set a large pot of water over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil.
Step
2
In the meantime, pound minced chiles into a fine paste in a mortar. Remove half the pounded chiles, and reserve. Add 2 tablespoons green coriander seeds to the mortar, and lightly pound until they break up and release a heavenly aroma, then stir in butter, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, flaky salt and cilantro. Taste and adjust for salt, and add reserved chiles as needed. Butter should be very fragrant, highly seasoned, savory, spicy and pungent.
Step
3
To grill corn: Cook over high heat or hot coals until just charred on all sides, about 8 minutes. To boil: Season boiling water generously with fine sea salt, and boil corn until just cooked, about 3 minutes.
Step
4
Slather butter over hot corn, sprinkle with remaining coriander seeds and flowers, if using, and serve with lime wedges.
Step
5
Refrigerate any remaining butter for up to 5 days. Serve with grilled fish, shellfish, chicken or vegetables.
Ratings
4
out of 5
233
user ratings
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Cooking Notes
jdots
I was going to pull my bolted cilantro this week .... Not true now! Can't wait to try this!!!
Mary from Terry, MS
Be sure to leave some seeds behind so the plants can reseed and come up again next year. I've grown cilantro for so many years that I never have to buy or plant seeds - cilantro comes up all over the garden and yard, LOL. Same thing with basil!
Mary from Terry, MS
Samin Nosrat always makes me happy. I, too, save the cilantro seeds and will definitely try this recipe. I try to harvest all the cilantro before it bolts and make pesto with it using pepitas instead of nuts. I freeze the pesto in ice cube trays and then store in freezer bags for later use. It is a delicious ingredient to add to food many months after my fresh cilantro is gone.
Maggie
i can't stop making this recipe. It's joy on plate.
BANANA ORANGE SAUCE
Where do you get fresh green coriander seeds?
Ryan K
I will no longer dread the bolting of my cilantro. Rather, I'm going to plant 3x as many plants so that I might have an endless supply of this butter. So far I've put it on corn, salmon, and green beans, all with great effect.I even forgot to add the chiles and this was not lacking flavor. Can't wait to make it properly with the added spice.
Lock McShane
I find the best way to grill corn is to just leave it in the tightly wrapped husk, no need to spoil a perfect wrapping, and put it on a hot grill. Turn every 15 minutes, and cook 45 minutes to an hour depending on how much char you like. The silk peels right off when husked. Be careful, the inner leaves can be hot.
Dee
This will be on the menu for my next BBQ.Please consider cooking corn the easy way: the microwave. Put the corn, with husk still on, in the microwave for about two minutes (more or less depending on ear size). Remove from microwave and, still with the husk on, wrap in a dry kitchen towel and leave on the counter for five minutes or so. Remove husk (everything will come off very easily) and proceed with grilling to finish. I often cook two ears at a time. Not boiling water is a blessing.
Prakash Nadkarni
The cilantro/green chili combo (+lemon juice/zest/cumin/salt/pinch sugar) is one of the many variants of Indian cilantro chutney. Ms. Nosrat's added butter/fish sauce/ginger/garlic is a brilliant touch.For those without cilantro in their garden, cilantro leaf + regular seed+lemon zest (or a little minced preserved lemon) would yield a similar result to green seed. An Indian dish of tomatoes stuffed with chutney/tempered coriander seed/lemon combo (and then baked) is simple and delicious.
Prakash Nadkarni
Go ahead and use dry seed: tempering them (i.e., quick toasting in your tiniest pan with an equal volume of ghee, melted butter or vegetable oil, to release the seeds' aroma) helps.
Rammurti
Either/Or, not both
Corinne
I made this a few years ago, and just lucked into the right amount of fresh coriander seed. I'm so excited to have this recipe in my forever recipe box.
CeeCee
This is possibly the best combination of flavors ever. So good on fresh sweet corn, shrimp- anything. Freezes well too
chohman
--substitute cilantro leaf + regular coriander seed + lemon zest for green coriander
Barbara
Does the whole mixture function well if you try to freeze it for later use after preparing? Not the corn, just the additional elements. ?
chesteve
Delicious. Did a mixture of par-boiling then grilling, put every ingredient in the mortar, pounded with the pestle, and then put the corn on and based with everything during the grilling. It was excellent. Will repeat.
caarin
Fresh coriander seed - who knew?!? I left my cilantro plant to bolt and plucked the seeds yesterday. I pounded them in my mortar and threw them in egg salad - gorgeous! Thank you Samin! Now I’m wondering what other hidden edible treasures I have growing in my garden...
Corinne
Question: I’ve been collecting green coriander seeds, but once they are picked and go in the fridge, they start to brown. :( can I make the butter a few days ahead of time? We’re having guests Saturday and I’d like to make this recipe for them. I think I can gather 3 more fresh tbsp tomorrow.
Prakash Nadkarni
The cilantro/green chili combo (+lemon juice/zest/cumin/salt/pinch sugar) is one of the many variants of Indian cilantro chutney. Ms. Nosrat's added butter/fish sauce/ginger/garlic is a brilliant touch.For those without cilantro in their garden, cilantro leaf + regular seed+lemon zest (or a little minced preserved lemon) would yield a similar result to green seed. An Indian dish of tomatoes stuffed with chutney/tempered coriander seed/lemon combo (and then baked) is simple and delicious.
Mary O
The whole coriander seeds are yellow, not green. Does this make a big difference in the taste?
Sydney Clemens
I wait for the seeds, too. Don't pick them really tiny; the ones in the photo are exactly the right size for the best taste. I put them in scrambled eggs, or just eat a few when in the garden.
AA
No bolted cilantro, sadly, but even so, got a superb result toasting 2 Tbs. whole coriander seed, grinding it roughly, and proceeding with the recipe. The compound butter was superb on roasted salmon, and future destinations for it will include shrimp, steak, swordfish, and asparagus.
michael
Not a gardener nor have I access to fresh coriander seed. Do you think I could use dry seed, which I love?
Prakash Nadkarni
Go ahead and use dry seed: tempering them (i.e., quick toasting in your tiniest pan with an equal volume of ghee, melted butter or vegetable oil, to release the seeds' aroma) helps.
Loofah
Honestly, I don't think anything would be a substitute for those fresh green seeds. I never even thought about using them for cooking, I just pushed them into the ground to get the cilantro to return the next year. But they have such a delicate and subtle taste; much more subtle than the leaves themselves. That being said, I got impatient and made it all in the food processor and it was fantastic. Whizzed the chiles and took out 1/2 (&never out them back), then the seeds, w/ the ginger & rest
Karen B
For those of us without gardens, I suppose chopped cilantro leaves would stand in for the seeds.
coriander seeds
I couldn’t find fresh coriander seeds anywhere so I settled for the dry coriander seeds that come in a spice jar. I’m not a fan of the texture at all. Don’t do what I did!
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