Fried Sage

May 31, 2020

Sage is the name of a herb with grey-green fuzzy leaves and a deep veined underside. It grows easily in gardens and the type I have is pretty frost hardy. Sage is also the name for a wise person or good advice. It has been part of traditional medicine in many regions of the world.

Sage
In my garden the sage comes back every year

It’s not a coincidence that the herb and the wise man share the same name. Sage, used traditionally to improve memory has in fact been found to prevent age-related memory loss and improve mood. In addition, when it comes to cancer, it has been shown to prevent skin cancer in mice and to kill colon cancer cells in test tubes (see reference below).

The front and back of the sage leave
This is a sage leave in the spring. It is not as fuzzy as the fall leaf

I first ate fried sage about a year ago when I attended a friends wedding and the chef garnished the plate with fried sage – it knocked my socks off! So delicious and easy, I hope you try it.

Fried Sage

This is such an easy and delicous recipe. It tastes great along with poultry.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: French
Keyword: sage, seasoning, herb, herbs, accompaniment, edible garnish
Servings: 4
Calories: 62kcal
Author: Jean LaMantia
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • fry pan

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh sage leaves if you are picking from your garden, check for bugs and spiders and clean under running water
  • 1-2 tbsp high oleic sunflower or safflower oil or organic canola oil or other neutral flavoured oil

Instructions

  • Clean and pat dry the sage leaves
    Clean sage leaves
  • Add the oil to a fry pan on med-low, heat for 1-2 minutes then drop sage leaves into hot oils. Try to separate the leaves and be careful not to get burned by the splattering oil. Too much water on the leaves with cause more splatter so be careful to pat them dry with paper towel
  • Fry until crispy on the edges. Place crispy fried sage on paper towel. Continue to add leaves to your pan without overlapping until your bunch is done.
  • Serve as an edible garnish or side to poultry dishes or other hearty meals

Notes

sage leaves
sage leaves fresh from the garden

 

Sage plant in fall garden
The sage leaves in the fall are more of a blue-grey colour and have more of a fuzzy appearance on the leaf

 

Enjoy your fried sage, it’s delicious! It’s also super easy.

If you like cooking her herbs, try this recipe for parsley pesto 

If you want more information about a cancer risk reduction diet, including healthy fresh herbs, check out my Cancer Risk Reduction Guide

Reference:

Healing Spices. How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease. Bharat B. Aggarwal with Debora Yost. Stering Press, 2011.

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