Cilantro has a love it or leave it reputation. It is a highly fragrant herb that is a defining ingredient in many Latin and Asian dishes. Those who turn their nose at it will tell you the fragrance and taste remind them of dish soap. I, for one, love cilantro, but I acquired the taste.
Cilantro is a very affordable, abundant and tender herb. In the market it looks a lot like flat leaf parsley. (I still have to take a nibble of it every time to be sure it is cilantro and not parsley) Cilantro will wilt quickly once you bring it home from the market so you need to have a plan to keep it fresh until you use it. I have opened the fridge enough times, ready to whip up a batch of tacos, only to find a soggy mess of wilted and yellow cilantro in the crisper drawer.
- Rinse it well to get the dirt and sand out of it.
- Place it in a jar of water like you are putting flowers in a vase for your table, stems in the water and leaves blooming out the top.
- Cover with a paper towel. (In an effort to reduce plastic consumption I use a paper towel to cover it rather than plastic.)
- Refrigerate.