Instructions
Dill weed is a fragrant herb with a fresh, bright flavor that blends grassy, citrusy, and lightly sweet notes. Learn how to use dill weed in everyday cooking, which foods pair best with its distinctive taste, and easy recipe ideas for bringing its vibrant flavor to seafood, potatoes, dips, salads, and more.
What is Dill Weed?
McCormick® Dill Weed is the dried feathery leaves of the dill plant (Anethum graveolens), an annual herb in the celery and parsley family. No matter what its name might suggest though, dill is not a weed! It is instead a culinary herb prized for centuries across Mediterranean, Eastern European, and Scandinavian cooking. While both come from the same plant, dill weed refers to the green leaves, while dill seed offers a more caraway-like flavor profile.
What Does Dill Weed Look Like?
Fresh dill features thread-like leaves with a vibrant green color. Dried dill weed consists of these fine leaves carefully dehydrated to preserve their grass-like hue and aroma. McCormick® Dill Weed is dried within hours of harvest to retain its sweet and herby flavor, as well as its bright green coloring.
What Does Dill Weed Taste Like?
Dill weed has a bright, grassy, slightly sweet flavor with mild citrus and anise-like notes. Its profile is light and aromatic rather than overwhelming, which makes it a natural fit for dishes like seafood and creamy dips.
How to Use Dill Weed
Dill weed works especially well in cold dishes that are quickly assembled, or in recipes that require minimal heat. This is because prolonged cooking can dimmish its delicate and volatile oils. Here are a few easy ways to utilize dill weed:
- Stir into creamy dips. If you blend dill weed into sour cream, Greek yogurt, or mayonnaise you can get an instant dip or sandwich spread.
- Sprinkle over deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, or cream cheese spreads for a fresh herbal pop at breakfast.
- Combine dill weed with olive oil, lemon juice, or vinegar for potato salads, pasta salads, and seafood marinades.
- Add dill weed to home pickling brines alongside garlic and peppercorns for a classic flavor.
- Garnish cooked proteins by sprinkling it over baked salmon, poultry, or roasted root vegetables right before serving.
What to Do with Dill Weed? Favorite Food Pairings:
Dill weed is a staple across Eastern European, Scandinavian, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern cuisines. Some ideal food pairings are:
- Salmon and Other Seafood: Dill weed’s tangy notes cut through the richness of fish like salmon and trout, as well as shrimp
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Cucumbers and Creamy Bases: the combination of dill, cucumber and yogurt powers iconic dishes like tzatziki and Eastern European chilled soups
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Potatoes: potatoes absorb dill weed’s earthy sweetness for a beautiful flavor
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Poultry: a touch of dill weed adds depth to chicken salad, turkey marinades, and cream-based chicken soups
- Dairy & Eggs: from deviled eggs to ricotta spreads, dill lifts rich dairy ingredients with a fresh burst of green flavor
Dill Weed Substitutes
If you run out of dill weed while cooking, here are some of the best alternatives:
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Fresh Dill: Use 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill for every 1 teaspoon of dried dill weed
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Dried Tarragon: Tarragon offers a similar anise undertone, making it a good substitute, especially in fish and egg dishes
- Dried Parsley: Parsley provides a grassy color and flavor profile, ideal for garnishes and dressings
How to Store Dill Weed
Store dried McCormick® Dill Weed in a dry pantry in a cool location away from direct sunlight, heat, and moisture. Our SnapTight™ bottles keep the herb's aroma and flavor sealed in for maximum freshness. It’s also best to use your dill by the date printed on the SnapTight™ lid.
Best Flavor Pairings for Dill Weed:
Dill pairs nicely with these herbs and spices. Try them together the next time you're in the kitchen cooking something up for lunch or dinner.
- Chives: A small grass-like perennial plant belonging to the onion family. They are aromatic, hardy, and grow in clumps of slender, onion like tubular leaves with lavender flowers in the spring.
- Basil: Sweet and fragrant basil complements tomato-based dishes including pizza, pasta and marinara sauce. Use basil and dill weed together as they both pair well with vegetable, chicken, pork or seafood.
- Parsley: Parsley is mildly flavored and so versatile. Add to pasta, potato or chicken salad. Mix with melted butter and toss with vegetables or potatoes.
- Oregano: Meet oregano, a robust herb that comes in whole leaves or ground up, giving meals a peppery bite and a sweet, minty aroma. In Greek, oregano means “joy of the mountain." Even though it's super popular today, it actually wasn't widely used in the U.S. until GIs returned from Italy during World War II. Our pure oregano is a delicious addition to any tomato dish, eggs and omelets, chicken, fish and pork, cooked vegetables, vinaigrettes and more. Consider it your go-to herb for that real Mediterranean flavor.
- Thyme: Cultures all over the world look to thyme as a great source for its unmistakable, fresh aroma. One of the highest compliments to pay a Greek warrior, for instance, was to say he smelled of thyme. And in the Middle Ages, thyme was used to fend off nightmares. Today, our pure thyme holds its greatest place of honor in the kitchen as one of our most popular herbs.
Grab Your Favorite McCormick Dill Products:
Try These Recipes That Use Dill Weed:
1. Montreal Salmon Rub
2. Spinach Dip
3. Dill Pickles
