Stinging nettles are one of the finest wild greens you can use to make soup, and there's plenty of recipes out there. Some are good, some are ok but this is my favorite nettle soup recipe of all time.
I originally developed the recipe for a dinner I billed at $1000 per person for a group of CEOs. To my surprise, instead of the truffles and foie gras, everyone agreed it was the highlight of the meal.
Why this recipe works
Most nettle soup recipes call for blanching and shocking the nettles in ice water, then squeezing them dry. Blanching, while necessary for some things, isn't necessary for many greens, and the water leeches out flavor from them.
Steaming the nettles quickly, then allowing them to cool, spread out on a tray, will have a stronger flavor as nothing is lost to water. That said, you can get a great result from either blanched or steamed nettles here.
In the recipe I instruct you to shock them in an ice bath, which is basically to help prevent user error. You can also simply put the nettles in the blender with the hot soup, too.
The other key is how it's thickened. I add boiled potatoes to the soup, instead of raw potatoes. Cooking potatoes in water before adding to the soup brings the flavor of the nettle to the front. It also removes some of the potato starch that can get overpowering and gummy tasting in pureed soups. Here's a walkthrough of how to make the soup.
How to Make Stinging Nettle Soup
First you steam your nettles, cool, chop ⅓ of them and reserve. To build the soup, you sweat a white mirepoix of celery, leeks and onions in butter. When the vegetables are tender, you add chicken stock and boiled potatoes.
After the soup comes to a simmer, you puree it in a blender with ⅔ of the nettles, add ing the cream and chopped nettles afterward. Finally, the soup is cooled in a metal bowl in a sink of cold water (if not served right away) and reheated gently to serve. The images below illustrate the process.
More nettle soup recipes
There's variations of this from around the world. Here's a few of my favorites:
- Isirgan Corbasi, with Mushrooms and Wild Onion Butter
- Sopa de Ortiga from Extramadura
- Zuppa Ortiche (Italian Nettle Soup)
Nettle Varieties
Classic Stinging Nettle Soup
Ingredients
Soup
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups diced peeled russet potato, roughly 1 large potato
- 2 cups diced leeks
- 2 medium sized shallots diced small
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced celery
- Kosher salt to taste
- White pepper to taste
- 8 oz stinging nettles or roughly half a paper grocery bag full This should yield about 1 heaping packed cup after blanching, shocking and mincing.
Finishing and serving
- Crème fraiche
- chopped dill or mint
- chopped hard boiled egg optional
- extra virgin olive oil to garnish, optional
Instructions
Preparing the Nettles
- Harvest fresh nettles in the spring about 4-5 inches tall. You can also use the tender growing tips in the late spring and summer.
- Wash the nettles in a sink of cold water, then dry them.
- Blanch the nettles in 2-3 quarts of boiling water seasoned to taste with salt. Cook only until wilted, about 30 seconds. Shock the nettles in cold water and squeeze dry.
- Remove a handful of nettles and finely chop them to add after the soup is pureed.
Building the soup
- Sweat the celery, onion, shallot and leek on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock, potatoes, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook on medium-low until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the nettles and puree the soup a blender or with an immersion blender. Work in batches if you need. Pour the pureed soup into a pot (preferably metal as it cools faster). Chill in a sink of cold water or in a bowl with ice water.
- Add the rest of the finely chopped, reserved nettles back to the soup and stir in as a garnish if desired. Finally, whisk in the cream to loosen it. The flavor and color will improve as it sits.
Finishing
- Assess the consistency, if you prefer your soup more thin, add a splash of stock or water until it looks good to you.
- Double check the seasoning for salt and pepper, whisking to make sure the salt is completely dissolved before adding more. Serve, or transfer to a container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The flavor will be at its peak if it's made the night before.
Serving
- Serve the soup ladles into warm bowls, garnished with spoonfuls of creme fraiche or olive oil, and any other garnishes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Common stinging nettles have a unique taste that's reminiscent of spinach and salt water, with a sort of oceanic flavor. Wood nettles have a rich perfume that reminds some people of apple blossoms.
Nettles are a nutrient dense plant rich in iron and other vitamins and minerals. Foraged plants are often "beyond organic" and raised without chemicals and pesticides.
No, cooking, dehydrating, or crushing nettles breaks the spines filled with formic acid and renders them harmless. After cooking they're no different from spinach.
Nettle soup freezes very well and is a great way to preserve nettles as they will be chewy and tough frozen without pureeing into a soup. The soup can also be made from frozen nettle.
Kris
Love this recipe! I have tried a couple of different nettle soup recipes and this one is the best. I garnished mine with fresh mint and fresh tarragon and a drizzle of cream. Delicious!
And thank you for the tip about pre-cooking the potatoes. I noticed a different texture with this method. 😉