Wild Garlic Butter

Name: Wild Garlic Butter
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min

July 19, 2011

Prep 15 min Total 1 hr 45 min

Wild garlic butter is a compound butter made from softened butter and finely chopped wild garlic leaves. It’s a spring recipe tied to the wild garlic season in April and May, when the leaves grow in damp deciduous woodlands across most of the country.

The flavour is milder than regular garlic — green, lightly peppery, and grassy. The wild garlic gives the butter a distinct garlic character without the sharp aftertaste, and the colour stays bright green if the leaves are chopped by knife rather than in a food processor. The processor bruises the leaves and produces a darker, duller green butter.

Wild garlic butter is served slice by slice on grilled steak, lamb, or pork chops, melted over new potatoes or green asparagus, or spread on rye bread. The log keeps two weeks in the fridge and up to six months in the freezer.

Foraging safety: wild garlic (Allium ursinum) can be confused with the poisonous lily of the valley and autumn crocus. Always smell a leaf before you pick — real wild garlic has an unmistakable onion-and-garlic scent when the leaf is crushed between your fingers. If there’s no smell, leave it.

Ingredients

Makes ca. 200 g (one log)

200 g unsalted butter, softened
25 g wild garlic leaves, washed and thoroughly dried (about 1 loose handful)
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest, from an unwaxed lemon
1/2 tsp flaky salt

Directions

Take the butter out of the fridge at least an hour ahead so it’s soft enough to mash easily with a fork.

Wash the wild garlic leaves in cold water and pat them completely dry with a clean tea towel. Water residue leaves spots in the butter and shortens the shelf life.

Stack the leaves and chop them finely with a sharp knife. Avoid the food processor if you want to keep the bright green colour.

Put the softened butter in a bowl and add the chopped wild garlic, lemon zest, and flaky salt.

Mash and fold everything together with a fork until the leaves are evenly distributed through the butter.

Tip the butter out onto a piece of baking parchment or plastic wrap. Shape into a log about 1¼ inches (3 cm) in diameter, roll tightly, and twist the ends like a sweet wrapper to close.

Refrigerate the log for at least 30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Keeps two weeks in the fridge and up to six months in the freezer. For easier portioning, the log can be cut into slices before it’s wrapped and frozen.
If you use salted butter, omit the flaky salt or halve it.
For a brighter, longer-lasting green butter, blanch the leaves for 20 seconds in boiling water, shock in ice water, and squeeze completely dry before chopping and mixing into the butter. The colour holds better, but the raw garlic bite is muted.
The wild garlic season is short. If you’ve picked more than you can use, the leaves keep 2-3 days in the fridge between damp tea towels, or they can be frozen whole and chopped directly from frozen.
You can add a little freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 tsp) for a fresher taste, but the butter will be slightly softer.