Good substitute for arugula
So what is the deal with arugula? I see it called for in so MANY recipes . . . often as a main ingredient (esp. in Cooking Light magazine) and I can't seem to ever find it in the stores here. Maybe once in awhile it appears as a green in part of a bagged salad, bleh. So . . . is there another leafy green that makes a good substitute? Does arugula really have that much to offer? I can't even remember what it tastes like, bitter? Peppery? Thanks for any input!
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15 Comments:
Peppery is a good description. There are many greens you could substitute, spinach comes to mind. Depending on the recipe, you probably would be fine, just without that peppery arugula taste. I'm surprised you can't find it. Around here I can find it packaged in a bag in any major supermarket. Look by the bagged salads or by the herbs. If you still can't find it, ask the produce person if they can order some.
derosa at 7:26AM on 04/03/09
I'd go with spinach and the addition of a little watercress, which is also nice and peppery. The spinach alone, for me, would lack the bite I look for in arugula.
chisai at 7:34AM on 04/03/09
Endive is sort of peppery but the torpedo-shaped, light-colored veg bears little resemblance to arugula.
I'd go with the baby spinach with or without the watercress depending on whether or not you want the bitter bite. I love it and therefore am also a fan of broccoli rabe.
therealchiffonade at 9:02AM on 04/03/09
escarole is another nice green to use in a salad..... it's not quite like arugula ..... the outer leaves can be a bit tough, they're great sauteed or in soups, but the inner leaves are very good. it's my favorite salad green of all.
pooch at 9:32AM on 04/03/09
Thanks guys! I will ask the produce manager at my local market if he can start ordering it. Unfortunately here in the "heartland" we don't get a lot of the more interesting produce items (trying to get fresh figs or Meyer lemons is IMPOSSIBLE) and sometimes I have to order them online. When I visit Dallas I do shop at Whole Foods to stock up on my favorite packaged and canned items, but it might be impractical to save something like arugula for very long. Maybe someday we will have a Whole Foods (or similar) here . . . sigh . . .
gourmetgal at 11:47AM on 04/03/09
We don't get arugula a lot here in PR either. But, watercress might be a nice substitute... because arugula, like the post above mentioned, is someehat peppery.
IMHO, substitute using any lettuce you like...
MadelynRodriguez at 12:02PM on 04/03/09
Try it next time you go to Whole Foods, just so you can tell whether or not you even like it. If you love it, it can't be too hard to grow (in my part of Texas, arugula is available at the farmers market year round).
When I'm not at an arugula-type store, I often find a bagged mix of half spinach half arugula.
renzata at 12:03PM on 04/03/09
I agree that "peppery" is how I describe it.
I've often eaten leaves from a flower in my mothers garden that has a similar flavour--but I prefer arugula when it calls for it.
I'd go with watercress and baby spinach for a substitute personally, but I also purchase the prewashed "organic mixed greens" that contain arugula and various herbs that works as an overall solution.
hungrychristel at 12:07PM on 04/03/09
Here I found them on wiki
The leaves like this one were what I ate; awesome peppery flavour.
Called "Nasturtiums" or "Tropaeolum"
hungrychristel at 12:21PM on 04/03/09
I may be the only person on the planet who doesn't like arugula, but you can certainly do without it. In raw use, just leave it out and use greens that you like. If you want a little bitter component, my choice is a little radicchio. With spring around some corner, if there are farmer's markets near you, you can probably sample a lot of greens and find other ones that you like.
In cooked dishes, depending on where the arugula is used, you can use spinach or chard or maybe even kale. Or bok choy, even. The flavors won't be the same, but you'll get that dark green leafy aspect.
Or if it's just a side dish/suggestion and it doesn't matter if it's leafy, choose any other veggie you like, as long as it marries well with the dish.
And as far as my dislike, it's not the flavor so much, it's that there's an off-putting odor that I really dislike. If someone else compiles a salad, I don't have a problem eating it in small quantites, and if it's cooked the odor disappears, so that isn't too bad. But since I'm the one who has to wash and prepare it, after I've dealt with that odor in preparation, I just don't want to eat the stuff. Does anyone else notice the odor, or is it just me?
dbcurrie at 12:42PM on 04/03/09
@OP - That's funny; I live "in" Dallas, and I can only find it in the tiny little plastic herb cases that are ridiculously expensive for the usable amount they yield. Unless, of course, I can make it to WF, Central Market or occasionally Sprouts.
mollykate678 at 12:50PM on 04/03/09
@ mollykate - I never thought of sprouts! (don't know how cuz I love'em) good one!
gourmetgal - If you cannot find the Tropaeolum flower leaves, and watercress isn't an option--you could try some radish sprouts for the peppery flavour? They're usually available all year round
hungrychristel at 1:01PM on 04/03/09
@dbcurrie--I'm on your team. I think arugula is way overrated, and I don't care for the odor. That didn't occur to me until you said it, but that's it. I adore Ina Garten and her food, but she uses arugula in absolutely everything and I have never cared for the stuff.
I don't mind it so much if there's a little of it in a bowl of mixed salad greens, but personally I'd leave it out and use yummy butter lettuce instead.
buffy at 11:25AM on 04/04/09
@dbcurrie ~ Julia Child didn't like arugula either; again, the smell I think. She did like watercress though!
duncan1205 at 12:56PM on 04/04/09
I'm so relieved. I thought I was the only one that smelled it. ANd if Julia didn't like it, I feel much better about it. Maybe it's one of those genetic things, like the people who taste a soapy flavor in cilantro.
dbcurrie at 1:19PM on 04/04/09