Lovely Nasturtium Leaves
- The Culinary Vegetable Institute
- Sep 19, 2022
- 1 min read
Nasturtium leaves add a unique layer of flavor to a wide range of culinary dishes—a citrusy, peppery taste—along with a delightfully crisp texture. Here are intriguing ways to use them in a cocktail, at a fine dining establishment, and in a banquet environment.
Bar and Bar Snack: Nasturtium Martini

We season nasturtium flowers with sugar and then shake them into a quick martini. The leaves serve as a garnish to float on the surface, and a drop of saline solution finishes the cocktail. This is a simple and elegant representation of a highly aromatic ingredient.
Fine Dining: Nasturtium Taco

These little bites make for a great start to a long format dinner. The full size nasturtium leaf is a perfect vessel to fold ingredients into—in this case, raw beef with fermented peppers and herbs.
Banquet/Country Club Dining: Seasonal Wedge Salad

When it's wedge salad season, we make wedge salads, and they serve as a canvas for anything we find on the farm. Nothing is off limits—eggplants, peppers, tomatoes, and radishes along with every flower, every herb, and every plant in any form—including the versatile nasturtium.
More About Nasturtium
The Chef’s Garden offers a variety of flavorful and aromatic nasturtium leaves, including:
Watch for more posts with the theme of plating food techniques!