Walnut
Walnuts are rich, slightly bitter tree nuts with a deeply ridged shape, widely used across French, Middle Eastern, and American cooking in everything from savory braises to baked goods.
How to buy
Shelled walnut halves and pieces should look plump and pale tan, without dark spots or a sharp, bitter smell that signals rancidity. Buying walnuts in the shell and cracking them yourself tends to give the freshest flavor.
How to store
Because of their high oil content, walnuts turn rancid faster than drier nuts; store shelled walnuts in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for several months of freshness, rather than leaving them at room temperature for long.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Earthy and rich with a distinct mild bitterness, especially in the thin skin, which mellows somewhat with toasting or when paired with sweet or acidic ingredients.
- Texture
- Firm and crunchy raw, walnuts soften slightly when toasted and become almost buttery when ground into a paste or sauce.
- Aroma
- A rich, earthy, slightly woody smell that intensifies and turns warmer once toasted.
How to prepare
- Toasted — Briefly toasted in a dry pan or oven to deepen flavor and crisp the texture.
- Candied — Coated in sugar syrup and cooked until glazed and crunchy.
- Ground into sauce — Ground fine and blended into savory sauces, as in Middle Eastern muhammara or Georgian-style preparations.
- Chopped into baking — Chopped and folded into breads, cakes, and cookies for crunch.
Classic dishes
American
- Waldorf salad — A retro salad of apples, celery, and walnuts bound in a creamy mayonnaise dressing.
- Banana walnut bread — Classic banana bread studded with chopped walnuts for crunch.
- Walnut and blue cheese salad — A composed salad pairing toasted walnuts with sharp blue cheese and greens.
- Walnut brownies — Classic fudgy brownies studded with chopped walnuts for crunch.
Italian
- Pesto di noci — A Ligurian walnut pesto, often blended with marjoram and a touch of cream.
Chinese
- Honey walnut shrimp — Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a sweet mayonnaise sauce and topped with candied walnuts.
- Candied walnuts — Walnuts coated in sugar syrup and fried until glossy, a popular teahouse snack.
Indian
- Kashmiri walnut chutney — A spiced chutney of ground walnuts, chile, and herbs from Kashmir.
French
- Tarte aux noix — A French walnut tart set in a buttery custard filling.
- French walnut bread — A rustic loaf studded with walnuts, traditional in walnut-growing regions like Périgord.
Greek
- Karydopita — A moist Greek spiced walnut cake soaked in syrup.
Middle Eastern
- Baklava with walnuts — Layers of flaky phyllo filled with chopped walnuts and soaked in sweet syrup.
- Muhammara — A Syrian dip of ground walnuts, roasted red pepper, and pomegranate molasses.
- Fesenjan — A Persian stew of chicken or duck braised in a rich ground walnut and pomegranate sauce.
British & Irish
- British Christmas stuffing with walnuts — A festive stuffing recipe studded with chopped walnuts for texture.
Substitutions
- Pine Nuts — Milder and less bitter than walnuts, a good swap in pesto though it changes the character of the sauce.
- Brazil Nut — Richer and oilier than walnuts, works in baking but lacks walnut's characteristic bitterness.