17 Fragrant Rosemary Recipes That Show off the Herb in All Its Glory

By Food & Wine
Updated September 13, 2018
Woodsy, piney and a little peppery, rosemary has an undeniably distinct taste, and one that goes just as well with rich, meaty dishes as it does with zingy desserts and cocktails. Whether you’re making your way through a rosemary bush out back (it’s a forgiving plant to grow!) or thinking of new ways to incorporate the herb after using sprigs for another dish, we’ve got a slew of great recipes that put this fragrant herb to good use.
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Rosemary Chicken with Rice Krispies

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Los Angeles chef Roy Choi says this crazy-crispy, cereal-topped chicken sounds a little weird, "but you're gonna love it!"?

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Honey-Rosemary Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes

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With 8 garlic cloves, honey, and rosemary, this amazing recipe is a powerhouse of intoxicating scents.

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Rosemary-Potato Focaccia Rolls

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Jessamyn Waldman varies the toppings by season; she uses potato and rosemary in the winter and tomatoes and feta in the summer.

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Rosemary Flatbread with Blue Cheese, Grapes and Honey

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"It's a tradition for winemakers to bake bread with grapes to celebrate the harvest," says David Page. Each harvest, he uses his wood-burning oven to make this crusty flatbread studded with creamy crumbled blue cheese and sweet table grapes.

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Rosemary-Skewered Shrimp

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These simple skewers are lovely because of their distinct rosemary flavor, which completely infuses the charred shrimp and sweet red peppers. They can be made on a grill or in a grill pan on a stovetop.

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Rosemary Lamb Chops

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In the chef version of this recipe, a rosemary-mint sauce tops the lamb chops. In the easy way, skip the sauce for the lamb chops; instead, rub rosemary onto the chops before they're seared.

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Balsamic and Rosemary-Marinated Florentine Steak

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Chef Matt Molina and his entourage prepared the dish on their last night in Italy, marinating the meat in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and rosemary.

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Sunflower Seed & Rosemary Crackers

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Rocca Kitchen & Bar's consulting pastry chef, Ruth-Anne Adams, and her husband, Tom Fosnot, the restaurant's chef, sampled many breads while traveling through Liguria, Italy. A simple, sunflower seed–flecked cracker from the town of Chiavari was their favorite, and back at Rocca, they re-created it as a snack.

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Rosemary Salty Dog

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Chef Ashley Christensen at Enoteca Vin in Raleigh, NC, adds muddled fresh rosemary to her version of the gin—and—grapefruit juice classic.

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Pasta with Rosemary and Onion-Orange Marmalade

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Anna Imparato made this ingeniously simple dish at a luncheon at the Montevetrano winery in Campania. She tossed her pasta in a sweet-tart onion-orange marmalade made at the estate; in its place, this recipe calls for caramelized onions and store-bought orange marmalade.

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Rosemary-Roasted Potatoes

© Andrew Purcell
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This recipe is as straightforward as it gets—you can basically make it with your eyes closed, which is great, because it’s an ideal side for pretty much any dish.

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Baja-Style Rosemary Chicken Skewers

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Chicken thighs are perfect for the grill because they stay nice and moist. Skewering them with rosemary imparts a lovely herbal flavor.

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Lavender

© Paul Costello
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This roast leg of lamb is rubbed with the classic combo of rosemary and garlic, but gets an unexpected twist with the addition of chopped fresh lavender. It's served with a sweet-and-sour shallot jam made from dates, honey and apple cider vinegar

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Hazelnut-Rosemary Caramel Tart

© Marcus Nilsson
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According to Jessica Koslow, chef-owner of Sqirl in Los Angeles, their pastry chef, Meadow Ramsey, “makes the best pies and tarts on earth,” and we agree. In tinkering to find an alternative to using corn syrup in this nutty tart, Ramsey discovered that a mix of brown rice syrup and brown sugar creates a custard with an amazing caramelly flavor and a luscious texture.

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Rosemary-Pepper Beef Rib Roast with Porcini Jus

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"When entertaining at home, I'm always hard-pressed for stove space," says Floyd Cardoz. To save room, he sears the meat in a preheated pan in the oven. The method also helps the meat cook more quickly.

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Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops with Pimentón and Mint

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Chef Nancy Silverton adores the grilled, herb-flecked lamb chops scottadito (“burnt fingers”). Here, she adds a kick to the lamb by garnishing it with smoky pimentón de la Vera and little mint leaves

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Lemon-Rosemary Granita

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An icy treat for a warm summer evening, this granita gets an unexpected boost from the bold flavor of rosemary. You can put the hot lemon mixture directly into the freezer rather than chilling it first, but the freezing time will be longer

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