Typically, I get so many questions around this time of year asking about garlic scapes, and how to use them. If you don’t know what they are, garlic scapes are the long stem that comes out of, you guessed it... a garlic bulb. My fiance and I absolutely adore them, and love to just pop them in the air fryer and snack on them from time to time with a heavy hand of salt. Many people also enjoy making them into a nice pesto, since they have a very intense garlic flavor. Here’s a recipe for garlic scape chimichurri, which is one of my favorite ways to top a protein. 

You will need 

5 garlic scapes (tops and bottoms trimmed)

½ cup fresh parsley chopped

1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1 fresno pepper chopped (or red pepper flakes!)

½ cup olive oil (plus more for your pan)

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

To get a nice charred flavor, heat a large cast iron pan with a touch of oil over high heat. Add in garlic scapes and char on one side. Flip on the second side and let cook for a few seconds (you don’t want to char it on the other side). This is going to make the scapes not so tough and give them a softer texture. Remove from the pan. 

Thinly slice your scapes and add them to a bowl. Add in your herbs, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and fresno pepper. Taste and adjust the flavors (you may need to add a lot more salt). Let it sit for 10 minutes and voila! 

This will be fantastic over any grilled protein. Serve with grilled fish, beef, or chicken! 

Claire Stabbert is an accomplished cook who loves to try new recipes. While she does enjoy eating at restaurants, she also loves to whip up a good meal at home. Claire gets some of her cooking inspiration from her grandfather and grandmother, Fred and Shirley Stabbert as well as Great Grandma Nellie.