Tempura Garlic Scapes with Garlic Scape Aioli Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to eat garlic scapes? ›

They're fantastic when sauteed or stir-fried in vegetable or pasta dishes, but they can also be blended into dips or compound butters (try using scapes instead of basil for making pesto). If you have more garlic scapes than you know what to do with, preserve them in your favorite pickling brine.

I recommend using at least twice as many scapes as you would cloves, to start. Keep in mind that cooking scapes tames their flavor, so you may want to increase the amount for a more pronounced kick.

Fold chopped and sautéed garlic scapes into frittatas, omelets, or our best-ever scrambled eggs. Swap thinly sliced garlic scapes for the scallions in your next batch of crispy fried rice. Cut garlic scapes into coins and add them to a hot pan to make all sorts of stir-fries.

Storing Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes keep well in a plastic bag in the fridge for two to three weeks. They will keep for a few days (and will look beautiful) in a glass with a little cool water in it, on the counter in a cool room.

Absolutely! Raw garlic scapes are perfectly edible, with a sharp garlicky-green flavour. Be warned though - older scapes can be quite tough, which can make them unappealing in their raw state. Try a little before you commit to using them raw in a recipe.

Win, win! To cut your scape, wait until the center stalk completely forms and grows above the rest of the plant. As it grows up it will begin to curl or spiral upward. At that point, cut the stalk as far down as you can without cutting any leaves off.

Grill scapes turning occasionally until they wilt and char slightly. Carefully remove cooked scapes from barbecue transferring to a bowl. Squeeze on lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss and then serve immediately.

Storing: Garlic scapes keep well in a plastic bag in the fridge for two to three weeks. They will keep for a few days (and will look beautiful) in a glass with a little cool water in it, on the counter in a cool room.

Toss the scapes with a little olive oil and salt, and add them to a grill preheated for medium-high heat. Cook the scapes for a few minutes per side, flipping them over when you notice lightly charred spots. The scapes should be bright green and tender in texture when finished.

If you prefer, you can also cut up the scapes into shorter pieces. Put them into bags, seal well and freeze for later use. They'll easily store in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you want some scapes you don't need to thaw them, simply use the frozen scapes directly in your favourite recipes.

Where do you store garlic scapes? ›

You can store the garlic scapes in a brown paper bag in the fridge for a couple months. You can also store in plastic bags, just be sure you don't seal them too tightly, allowing some airflow. Simply folding the bag over once will do the trick!

When the scapes grow long enough that they curl into a loop, they must be removed. If you don't break off the scapes, they will develop heads of bulbils and draw energy away from the bulbs growing underground.

They can be diced and used in omelettes, frittatas, soups and salads. They can be eaten cooked or raw—though, be warned, they are a little tough when raw. They can also be pickled—try our pickled garlic scape recipe—then used in salads in place of gherkins or other pickles.

Garlic scapes are a great source of antioxidants, which help protect your cells against oxidative damage. This can also help to protect against other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and autoimmune diseases.

Trim the end and bud, toss with oil, salt, and pepper, and pop the whole scapes on the grill over a medium flame. Cook until the outside has a nice char and the inside is soft about—10 minutes. Serve it hot off the grill topped with parmesan. You can also saute or stir fry garlic scapes as you would green beans.

“Garlic scapes come from garlic, so they contain the same nutrients like antioxidants Allicin, vitamin C, and selenium, all of which are involved in heart health,” she notes.

When growing hardneck garlics, scape removal is generally recommended unless you are wanting to let them develop a bulbil capsule. Scape removal encourages larger bulbs because energy is conserved and diverted to the bulb rather than the flowering structure.

They can be eaten cooked or raw—though, be warned, they are a little tough when raw. They can also be pickled—try our pickled garlic scape recipe—then used in salads in place of gherkins or other pickles.