Coriander

[no_hypocrisy]

I'm making a marinade for swordfish. It calls for coriander.

Question: Do I put in the marinade whole or do I gently crush it in a mortar and pestle?

Thanks!

[leftieNanner]

1. I would crush it.

It releases the oils and flavor.

[Kali]

2. leave it out?

swordfish? wow expensive fish that just needs a touch of butter when I splurge (great on the grill)

if you must, I would leave it whole so you can scrape the seeds off after you take it out of the marinade...

[Laelth]

3. I would finely chop it.

No way I would use seeds or powder. It needs to be fresh. It’s also called cilantro. It’s for color, aroma, and it’s basic, so it cuts acidity.

-Laelth

[Retrograde]

7. Coriander seed and fresh coriander leavesha

have completely different tastes and uses: they do not substitute for each other even though they come from the same plant. One’s a spice, the other is an herb.

As for the OP - if it’s just going in a marinade I’d leave them whole.

[if..fish..had..wings]

4. Depends

Coriander is the leaves, also known as cilantro. I would chop it.
Coriander seeds are (obviously) the seeds of the plant. I would use them whole.

[soothsayer]

5. It's a confusing plant. Fresh coriander is cilantro

But when it goes to seed (as it does so very quickly if you try growing it), it’s coriander.

Ditch it and instead make a compound butter with diced onion and lemon or lime juice and some sea salt. Yum!

[Retrograde]

8. I've seen British recipes

that use “coriander” for both parts - confusing is right!

There’s also coriander root, which is called for in some Southeast Asian recipes but is hard to find.

[Phoenix61]

6. I'd use it whole unless it specifically said crushed.

While both come from the same plant, they have different uses and tastes. Cilantro is the leaves and stems of the coriander plant. When the plant flowers and turns to seed the seeds are called coriander.