What are some good uses for Lemon Basil?

Question

When putting in the garden this year, I planted a Lemon Basil plant along with the usual Sweet Basil. For the most part, I have been combining it with the Sweet Basil to make pesto, various caprese's, bruschetta, etc. It has been good, but it seems like there is more potential that I have not yet used it for. From the Wikipedia article it mentions Southeast Asian dishes and fish dishes, neither of which I cook very often.

The basil does have a very lemon taste and odor, so dishes that call for real lemon and basil would likely be a good fit. Any other ideas?

Answer 1

Lemon basil makes a delicious addition to lemonade. You can also throw it in salads - Serious Eats has a cucumber salad recipe that looks great, and it's an easy way to have a Southeast-Asian twist without going the traditional curry or soup route.

I've also found a couple of people with suggestions of how to use lemon basil:

• Ramona Werst
• Lilly Anderson-Messec

My two cents is that you can add it to just about anything you think will be good; be creative! Personally, I am a big fan of adding herbs to my own sandwich creations when I can't think of anything better to do. It's a really simple way to jazz up a quick meal!

Answer 2

I did the same as you, but because my sweet basil plant has not grown as well as I would like I have been using the Lemon basil in substitution for regular basil. I have made pesto and marinara sauce, and plan on making a sorbet with it.

Answer 3

I would use it to make any sauces that would go with a fish or chicken. A pesto sauce with it would be great. The lemon flavor and aroma would and a nice dimension to the pesto.

Answer 4

If you're looking for combinations of lemon and basil, I have been in love with a pasta dish using lemon, cream, parmesan and loads of basil. Would be wonderful with the lemon basil, I'm sure.

Answer 5

You can use it in Thai dishes.

I've used it before for green curries and in tom yum/tom kar gai and it was a nice addition.