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    Home » Leafy Greens

    Mediterranean Dock Soup with Rice and Lemon

    Published: Apr 25, 2020 Modified: Mar 1, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 13 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Do you like Greek dishes like avgolemono? Then you'll like this recipe for dock soup with rice and lemon--they're basically cousins. Dock, or Rumex species are legion across the United States, and, as much as I would like to tell you that I cooked with curly dock for this recipe, I can't be exactly certain.

    Mediterranean style dock soup with rice, egg and lemon recipe

    There are a lot of docks (I've heard around 11 or so) and separating them to species can be difficult even for real hard core professional plant people. The good news is that all docks are edible (they're relatives of sorrel) the bad news, is that they generally have a poor reputation as an edible, which I'll get into.

    Wild edible dock or Rumex species
    See the ruffles on the edge of the leaf? These are most likely curly dock, but I can't be 100% certain. Either way they're edible.

    The reason many people don't like them, is that dock, after cooking has a bit of a soft, slippery feel. The greens also break down much faster than others I've cooked, so people that boil their greens with some dock in there might end up with a slippery mess. Some people like green pudding type dishes--I don't. But, docks and all their relatives have been used as food plants by people around the world for a very long time. Wild edible dock or Rumex species

    Dock Leaves grow in thick basal rosettes.This soup is a simple version of one I read about in an Italian book I've been translating, and it ends up eating a bit like avgolemono. It's a classic poverty-cuisine style soup.

    Meat stock is nice, but not totally necessary, and starch is added in the form of rice to add some body. Add some beaten egg, healthy glugs of good olive oil and a generous drizzle of fresh lemon juice at the end and you have yourself some fine European comfort food.

    Mediterranean style dock soup with rice, egg and lemon recipe
    Mediterranean style dock soup with rice, egg and lemon recipe
    Print Recipe
    4.59 from 12 votes

    Mediterranean Dock Soup with Rice and Lemon

    A simple Medditeranean style soup with Rumex leaves, rice, egg and lemon. Serves 4.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time35 minutes mins
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Greek, Italian
    Keyword: Chanterelle Soup, Dock
    Servings: 4 Servings
    Calories: 137kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo

    Equipment

    • 1 3 quart soup pot

    Ingredients

    • 6 oz fresh tender dock leaves washed and cleaned
    • Kosher salt to taste
    • Fresh lemon juice to taste
    • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling to taste
    • ¼ cup basmati or other long grain rice
    • 1 small yellow onion
    • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
    • 1 Tablespoon Chopped fresh oregano to taste or ½ Tablespoon wild bee balm
    • Pinch of ground cumin

    Instructions

    • Blanch the dock leaves in boiling salted water until just wilted—a few seconds, then cool in cold water, and squeeze out as much water as possible. You should have about ¾ cup.
    • Meanwhile, toast the rice in a 350 F oven until just golden, then cool, add to a pot with a pinch of salt and ½ cup of water, bring to a simmer and cook, covered until tender.
    • Coarsely chop the dock leaves in a cross-hatch pattern so there are no long pieces—they need to fit on a spoon.
    • Sweat the onion and garlic in the oil for 10 minutes on medium heat, or until just barely browning around the edges. Add the stock, dock leaves and oregano, pinch of cumin and bring to a simmer, adjust the seasoning for salt and pepper, then add the rice and simmer on low for 10 minutes or so to let the flavors meld.
    • Finally, stir in the beaten egg, allow to heat through, and serve garnished with olive oil, black pepper, and plenty of fresh lemon juice. The soup should taste lemony.

    Notes

    Other slippery greens like mallow, jute mallow, or violets would also be good here. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6oz | Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 944mg | Potassium: 54mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1522IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ash

      May 13, 2020 at 2:09 am

      5 stars
      This was quite literally one of the best meals I've ever made. Thank you so, so much x

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 13, 2020 at 4:40 pm

        That makes my day. Such an underused green! Thanks.

        Reply
    2. Leo King

      May 26, 2021 at 10:32 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious. Don't skimp on the lemon juice! I used broad leaf dock for this.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 27, 2021 at 6:53 am

        Glad it worked for you Leo.

        Reply
        • Terese Rachal

          March 01, 2023 at 6:59 pm

          what does 6 ounces of dock look like? 2 hand-fulls ? a colander-full?
          any guidance will be appreciated. thank you for this recipe !
          I'm making it right now, I'm using a colander full. it makes a softball size once I squeezed out the water.

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            March 01, 2023 at 7:07 pm

            Hi Terese
            Sorry if that's tough to understand, I'm going to add a conversion to it. After blanching this will be almost exactly 3/4 cup.

            Reply
            • Billie

              March 15, 2023 at 11:39 pm

              5 stars
              This is absolutely amazing! I foraged the curly dock from my property and made this for dinner tonight; both me and my husband loved it. He was skeptical of me cooking some leaves I brought in from outside but was thoroughly surprised.

            • Alan Bergo

              March 16, 2023 at 8:10 am

              Hey thanks Billie. I really like this one. About another month for me here before I can have some!

    3. Darren Smith

      May 27, 2021 at 6:51 pm

      5 stars
      I had known dock was edible for a while and wasn’t sure how to approach it. Found this recipe and all I can say is wow! The dock still shines through but the soup is a perfect vehicle for a green that I can see how it would maybe not be so great on its own. I had some foraged oyster mushrooms that I sautéed with the onions and garlic which fit right in with the dish. Home run recipe and will be making this every spring since dock is never hard to find!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 28, 2021 at 10:15 am

        Darren, yeah this is one of my favorite recipes for dock as I'm not going to sit down and eat a plate of it. Glad it worked for you.

        Reply
    4. Jes

      March 02, 2023 at 12:24 pm

      5 stars
      This is my new favorite dock recipe! Blanching is a great idea I'd never done that before. I used patience dock.

      Reply
    5. Brian Little

      April 14, 2023 at 11:21 am

      5 stars
      Making this recipe this weekend - have a bunch of dock growing in my garden and I have never tried it.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 14, 2023 at 12:14 pm

        Thanks Brian, let me know how it turns out for you.

        Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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