How to make herb butter and flavour ideas
Herb butter or compound butter is extremely easy to make, and it can turn any simple meal into one to remember. Adding a knob of herb butter is most often thought of when cooking steak, but it also works for everything from chicken and fish, to potatoes, green vegetables and beans. It's also a perfect condiment for barbecues – think chargrilled corn brushed with garlic and paprika butter, or lamb skewers with rosemary and lemon butter. Even a simple piece of crusty bread is turned into a decadent bite with just a bit of herb butter.
Compound butter is also a fantastic way to use up leftover herbs. Herb butter will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer, so if you have a bunch of herbs wilting away, we’ll teach you what to do.
How to make herb butter
Check out the video below and have a look at how easy it is to make your own herb butter.
Ingredients
- 250g block unsalted butter
- Salt to season
DILL AND LEMON BUTTER
- 1/3 cup dill, chopped
- Rind of 1 lemon
CHIVE, GARLIC AND PARSLEY BUTTER
- 1/4 cup chives, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
CHILLI AND PARSLEY BUTTER
- 2 chillies, chopped
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves, chopped
Get the full recipe that you can save to your cookbook here: Herb Butters 3 ways
Tips for making herb butter
- Ensure your herbs are dried thoroughly after washing to avoid adding excess water to your compound butter.
- Use softened butter. Take the butter out of the fridge one to two hours before you want to use it.
- Only season your herb butter if you're using unsalted butter.
- You can add other spices and flavourings such as paprika, honey, maple syrup, mustard, curry powder and more.
- Keep herb butters in the freezer, only cutting off what you need and return the rest to the freezer.
- Wrap butter tightly in plastic wrap or a sealed, freezer-safe container to stop butter from absorbing smells from the fridge or freezer.
- To defrost butter faster, cut it into thinner slices or smaller pieces.
How long can you keep herb butter?
Herb butter lasts about 4-5 days in the fridge and up to 6 weeks in the freezer. This makes it a great make-ahead condiment.
Now you know the technique and the tips, here are different flavour combinations that work particularly well for different meats and veggies. Get the recipes!
Herb butter for steak
Place a slice of herb butter on your steak while it rests, or use it to baste in the last minute or so of cooking. You don't want to add herb butter too early or it may burn.
Try these flavour combinations:
Herb butter for chicken or turkey
Herb butter can be rubbed on and under the skin for extra crispy skin and juicy meat. Gently push your fingers between the skin and the breast and add herb butter.
Try these flavour combinations:
Herb butter for seafood
Brush herb butter over seafood as it cooks. Since seafood cooks quickly, you don't need to worry about burning the butter or herbs and spices.
Try these flavour combinations:
- Garlic, lime and chilli butter – BBQ garlic, lime and chilli prawns recipe
- Garlic and chilli butter – Quick BBQ prawns recipe
- Salmoriglio butter – Swordfish skewers recipe
- Lemongrass, ginger and lime butter – Fish parcels recipe
Herb butter for vegetables
Vegetables can either be cooked in herb butter, or it can be added afterwards.
Try these flavour combinations:
- Herb, chilli and orange butter – Hasselback potatoes recipe
- Parsley, thyme, rosemary and lemon butter – Herb roasted potatoes recipe
- Coriander and chilli butter – Barbecued corn recipe
- Pine nut, garlic and parsley butter – Beans and cherry tomatoes with pine nut butter recipe
