Shiso is a variety of Perilla with the quintessential serrated, spade-shaped leaves, and soft texture. Full of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, and iron with a wide range of colours to enjoy.
A mainstay in Japanese cuisine and a welcome addition to fusion dishes thanks to its unique flavour often described as a combination of mint, clove, basil, and licorice. It is typically used as classical garnish for sushi and sashimi, or the mature leaf can be eaten in tempura.
The flavour remains very similar in the micro and baby leaf stages making the choice between Red, Green or Bi-coloured Shiso more of an aesthetic one.
However, Red Shiso takes a lot longer to mature than Bi-coloured and Green varieties and becomes sharper in flavour when full grown. Take a look at how some of our customers have been utilising Evogro-grown shiso in their dishes.
Langoustine Tartare and Dashi Custard at Unalome
Graeme Cheevers and his team at Unalome bring Japanese influence and Scottish produce together in every dish, and this is a fantastic example of how Evogro-grown Shiso is helping bring that to life.
Steamed dashi custard, langoustine tartare, smoked eel, semi-dried tomato and a touch of ossetra caviar – finished with vibrant Red and Bi-coloured Shiso, grown in the Evogro cabinet.
Vegan Maitake Mushrooms at Brown's Hotel
At Brown’s Hotel, Head Chef, Tommaso and Executive Chef, Andrew Sawyer walked us through a vegan dish they had been developing. Maitake mushrooms marinated for 48 hours in soy, sherry wine and ginger, finished with a mushroom purée, chilli oil, hazelnut crumble and pickled walnuts. Brought together and enhanced by deep Red Shiso, picked fresh to order.
Kimchi-Dressed Beef Tartare at Scott's Richmond
Dry-aged, grass-fed beef tartare dressed generously with a sweet-spicy kimchi dressing, finely diced shallots, capers and chives. Pressed to order and finished with fragrant shiso aioli, sharp yuzu mayonnaise and an egg yolk. Here, mature Green Shiso is used to flavour and colour the aoili whilst baby leaf Red and Bi-coloured Shiso is used as a garnish.
Did you know?
Did you know shiso is also known as a beefsteak plant thanks to its popular red varieties? Contact our Grow Team today and discover the right shiso for you.
