Alternative to cilantro???

[eileen cooney]

Hello
It's going to be a hot NYE here in Melbourne Australia .... 36 DEG
I'm making spicy mango salad for my next door neighbors pool party ..... what can I use as an alternative if I can`t find cilantro at my local shops?

Thanks
E

 

[Silversage]

Cilantro is the leaf of the coriander plant. In some countries it's called coriander or chinese parsley. Perhaps you can find it under one of those names?

 

[CraigC]

Not sure if this would be any easier to find, but culantro will work. Just be cautious as it has a much stronger flavor, so use less.

Craig

 

[GB]

You can leave it out if you can't find it. Cilantro has a very unique flavor that really does not have anything that makes a good substitute. Many people do not like cilantro anyway. They say it tastes like soap to them. People either love it or hate it. If you really had to sub something then parsley would work in your salsa. It will not give it the same flavor, but the color will be right.

 

[Dumpandstir]

I wonder if Taragon would be a good substitute. It has a slight liquorice flavor that might compliment the fruit in the salsa. Just a thought.

 

[CWS4322]

I wonder if Taragon would be a good substitute. It has a slight liquorice flavor that might compliment the fruit in the salsa. Just a thought.

Because tarragon is "licorice", I'd try it, I use it for zucchini slaw. Or, parsley, basil, mint, or thyme might work. When I can't (don't have) fresh dill, I often use mint. Fresh cilantro, on the other hand, is an herb I really hate not being able to have. If you use one of the mint family herbs (thyme, mint), you might want to add some lemon or lime zest, just for fun, and a splish of vodka, with the fruit.

 

[Steve Kroll]

It's a pretty common herb. I'm almost 100% certain you have it in Australia, where it's most likely called by one of its other names: Coriander (the leaves, not the seeds) or Chinese Parsley.

There is no substitute for the flavor.

 

[ChefJune]

I avoid cilantro because to me it tastes like soap. so in its place, sometimes I use flat leaf parsley, tarragon, thyme or marjoram. No, none of these tastes like cilantro (thank goodness! ) but I like the way they taste in the various recipes... In Mango Salsa, I often use a combo of tarragon and parsley.

Hope this helps.

 

[salt and pepper]

Chef June says flat leaf parsley! I agree.

 

[slett]

I like cilantro. My wife does not. Fresh parsley is always good in just about everything. A good compromise.

 

[merstar]

Mint or Basil would work well.

 

[eileen cooney]

Thanks one & all. Appreciate the replies; this is a great site. Am going for the Chinese parsley option; I live in an very diverse area of a very culturally diverse city so I'm sure I can get around here.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

[CWS4322]

Supposedly, for people who don't like cilantro (which I love), Italian parsley (flat-leaf parsley) is the 1st option when subbing something for cilantro.

 

[Claire]

Eileen, I have not read the entire line, but in the US, Chinese parsley IS cilantro. If you don't like it but want the color, regular parsley is your answer.

 

[Fabiabi]

Parsley or mint? Mint is good in salsa. Maybe a combination of mint and basil?

 

[vitauta]

love love love the cilantro, ever since i first got my first sniff of it about 15 years ago. the pungent, intoxicating aroma of cilantro had me transfixed even before i had my first taste of it. i started buying bouquets of cilantro (in order to inhale their smell more often) and displayed them in water glasses in the kitchen and dining area--and sometimes in my bedroom too. i didn't immediately know how to cook with cilantro, but eventually loved this remarkable herb for its flavor as well. it is so hard for me to understand anyone having an aversion to cilantro, which in my my eyes (and nose and mouth) is such a delightfully inspired and richly endowed wonder of nature....

 

[Steve Kroll]

I'm the same way. I could eat a salad of cilantro. I sometimes bring home Thai or Indian takeout and add my own extra cilantro to it. I adore the stuff.

I do understand, though, how some people might not like it. It has a very pronounced pungent flavor, which not everyone would find palatable. For me, I wasnt a huge fan to begin with but it's grown on me over time.

 

[taxlady]

love love love the cilantro, ever since i first got my first sniff of it about 15 years ago. the pungent, intoxicating aroma of cilantro had me transfixed even before i had my first taste of it. i started buying bouquets of cilantro (in order to inhale their smell more often) and displayed them in water glasses in the kitchen and dining area--and sometimes in my bedroom too. i didn't immediately know how to cook with cilantro, but eventually loved this remarkable herb for its flavor as well. it is so hard for me to understand anyone having an aversion to cilantro, which in my my eyes (and nose and mouth) is such a delightfully inspired and richly endowed wonder of nature....

You sound like me with tarragon. I don't like cilantro. But, funny thing, I feel about the same way about coriander seeds as I do about tarragon.

 

[taxlady]

I like cilantro. My wife does not. Fresh parsley is always good in just about everything. A good compromise.

It sure is. I am not sure it is possible to put too much parsley I mentioned that to someone once and she said that her mother had put too much parsley in some potato salad. I asked how it tasted. She said, "Fine, but it was awfully green."

 

[designad]

It's a pretty common herb. I'm almost 100% certain you have it in Australia, where it's most likely called by one of its other names: Coriander (the leaves, not the seeds) or Chinese Parsley.

There is no substitute for the flavor.

It's hard to go anywhere in Australia and avoid coriander. IMHO restaurants here put it in everything and it annoys me as I don't like it .

It's available everywhere.