Sorrel
A few slivered young sorrel leaves add a refreshing touch to any
sandwich.
Resembling spinach in shape, sorrel leaves range in
color from pale to dark green and in length from 2 to 12 inches (5 to 30.5cm). It has a
refreshing, slightly bitter taste and has grown wild for centuries throughout Asia, Europe,
and North America. It’s frequently used in French cooking.
Varieties
Belleville sorrel, also called sour dock and sour grass, is the most strongly flavored
variety of sorrel.
Dock sorrel, also called spinach dock and herb patience dock, is the mildest variety.
Gourmet food stores sometimes carry cooked sorrel in jars and cans.
While dried leaves are available, fresh sorrel is more flavorful.
Buying and storing tips
Choose sorrel with firm, bright-green, crisp, and arrow-shaped leaves. Avoid sorrel with
woody-looking stems or leaves that are yellow or wilted. As all sorrel matures it becomes more
acidic, whereas the smaller leaves tend to be less acidic.
Refrigerate fresh sorrel in a plastic bag for up to three days. Dried sorrel can be stored
in a container in a cool, dark place for no more than six months.
Availability
Fresh sorrel is available in limited supply year-round with a peak season in the spring.
Dried sorrel is available in the spice section of most markets year-round.
Preparation, uses, and tips
In the spring, when sorrel’s rather sour flavor is mildest, it is used in salads and
cooked as a vegetable. A few slivered young sorrel leaves add a refreshing touch to any
sandwich. The fresh young leaves can be combined with other herbs in salads, or cooked and
served like spinach, usually in combination with either Swiss chard or spinach. When more
mature and acidic, sorrel is used to flavor cream soups; it’s also pureed as an
accompaniment for meats and vegetables, and used in omelets and breads.
To puree sorrel, wash the leaves and pull off the stems. Then lay about two dozen leaves
parallel in a neat pile, roll into a fat cigar, and shred the leaves crosswise with a knife.
Place these shreds in a pan with a generous teaspoon (5g) of butter—or a little water,
olive oil, or cream—for each quarter pound of leaves. Over low heat with
occasional stirring, the leaves will melt into an olive green puree in about 15 minutes. The
puree can be strained to remove any leaves, if you like.
Cream of sorrel soup is a famous Old World dish, and
salmon with sorrel sauce is a popular dish in France.
Due to its high acid content, sorrel can cause a reaction in some metals. When cut, it will
discolor a carbon steel knife, as well as aluminum or iron cooking pots and silver serving
dishes.
Nutritional Highlights
Savory, dock (raw), chopped, 1/2 cup
Calories: 15
Protein: 1.3g
Carbohydrate: 2.1g
Total Fat: 0.5g
Fiber: 1.9g
The information presented in this website is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of U.S. registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications.
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