Freezing dill - procedure & frozen recipe ideas

Freeze dill to preserve the aroma during storage

Freezing dill versus other storage methods

The brown dill seeds do not have to be frozen, they are obtained by drying the ripe flower umbels of the dill and stored in glasses or paper bags in a well-ventilated manner. Unfortunately, dill tips and dill herbs lose a lot of their original aroma when they dry. Therefore, it is better to keep the plant parts of the dill in a frozen state for later use in the kitchen. Sometimes dill tips are also finely chopped up and processed with salt into a storable seasoning mixture. However, even with this method, the preservation of the natural dillaroma and the storage time are rather limited.

Harvest dill properly and process it fresh for storage

If you want to harvest dill tips for storage, you should harvest them before the dill blooms if possible. From the time of flowering, the otherwise rather filigree shoot tips of the dill plant can become rather hard. For fresh processing as a spice and also for freezing, it is important that the dill tips and the dill herb are cut as freshly as possible. Freezing an already visibly wilting amount of cut dill from the compost heap usually no longer makes aromatic sense. There is no need to wash clean dill in preparation for freezing. However, if you want to remove dust or other dirt from it, you can rinse it off with cold water and then gently pat it dry with kitchen towels.

Freeze dill whole or crushed for various uses

Ideally, think about what you will use the dill for later before freezing. When pickling salmon, dill tips are better frozen whole. You can also carefully chop the dill and the dill tips or freeze them in an ice cube mold with a little water if you want to use the dill as a spice for the following dishes:

for seasoning soups
as a condiment in stews
for marinades with meat or fish
for delicious herbal quark

An easy way to chop up dill herb is to freeze a few small amounts of it in a freezer bag. Then take the bag out of the freezer as quickly as possible to prevent the dill from thawing. Then use your hands to crush and break the frozen dill through the bag so that it breaks into small pieces.

Tips & Tricks

Even if you like the smell and taste of dill, you should always pack this spice well in the freezer. Otherwise, over time, frozen dill can inadvertently release its aroma to other foods stored in the freezer compartment.