Saffron has 3 properties that make it very valuable in cooking:

  • Coloring power: Saffron gives a yellowish color to meals, which enhances them making them look more appetizing.
  • Flavor: The flavor of saffron is unique. Used in the correct quantity, gives the dish a slightly bitter and earthy taste that makes it delicious.
  • Aroma: The aroma of saffron is very appealing. No wonder it was used as a perfume in the antiquity.



    How to use it:
    • For saffron in filaments:

      Slightly toast the filaments wrapped in a piece of paper on the lid of the boiling pot. Afterwards grind with a mortar or rub with your fingers in the same paper. Add to the dish dissolved in some water or broth. It is recommended to dissolve the saffron, for about 20 minutes, in something hot, something acidic or something alcoholic, depending on the ingredients of the recipe, to extract all the aroma, flavor and color.

    • For saffron in powder:

      Directly add the saffron to the dish dissolved in some water or broth.

    Quantities to use

    The quantities of saffron to be used for cooking are very small, so despite the high price of one kilo of saffron it is not expensive to use it when you are cooking.

    For saffron in filaments 4 to 6 filaments per person are used.
    For saffron in powder: One envelope of 125 mg is enough for a 4-person meal.

    Other tips

    • Store saffron in a cool dry place, protected from the direct exposure to light.
    • Saffron filaments can be an elegant decoration in soups and sauces.
    • Saffron combines perfectly with garlic, thyme, tomato, ginger and lemon.
    • When working with saffron avoid using wooden utensils, because they tend to absorb the saffron.

    Next we present some recipes that include saffron. We will be updating this section with new recipes in the future. If you want to share your recipes with saffron with us you can e-mail them to us along with your name and address.

    MUSSELS IN SAFFRON SAUCE

    Ingredients.

    • 1 ½ kg of mussels
    • 1 onion
    • 5 toasted and mashed almonds
    • 200 ml of cream
    • 200 ml of fish broth
    • saffron
    • brandy
    • salt
    • nutmeg


    1. Peel and grate the onion. Lightly fry in an earthen casserole with a little bit of oil. Add the saffron, the almonds and a little bit of brandy. Let the brandy consume for some minutes and then add the cream. Boil for 4 minutes.
    2. Clean the mussels and put them in the casserole. Add the fish broth. Cover and let cook for some minutes until the mussels open. Season with salt if necessary. Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

    RED MULLETS IN SAFFRON SAUCE

    Ingredients (4 persons):

    • 6 red mullets of 250g each
    • 5 spoons of oil
    • 1 spoon of lemon juice
    • fennel
    • saffron
    • salt and pepper

    1. Put the oil, lemon juice, fennel, salt and pepper in a big dish.
    2. Remove the scales, gills and intestines of the red mullets without removing the liver. Wash, drip and dry. Make one incision in each side of the fish. Leave in the marinade for 1 hour.
    3. Drip the fishes and put them in a platter for the oven. Sprinkle some of the marinade over the fish. Put the platter into the preheated oven at 190ºC, for 20 minutes. Turn the red mullets once and base with the marinade from time to time.
    4. Take out the red mullets and put them on a dish. Keep the fish warm. Keep the remaining marinade in the oven for some minutes, adding the saffron to it. Cover the red mullets with the sauce and serve immediately.

    SCALLOPS IN SAFFRON

    Ingredients (4 persons):

    • 16 scallops
    • 50 g of butter
    • 200 ml of liquid cream
    • 2 egg yokes
    • 2 spoons of brandy
    • saffron
    • tomatoes
    • aromatic herbs
    • salt and pepper

    1. Remove the scallops from their shells. Wash in cold water, dry well and lightly fry in some butter without browning.
    2. Put the brandy and butter in a casserole and cook until it melts. Add the cream, the saffron, salt and pepper. Cook with strong fire until you obtain a thick sauce.
    3. Add the scallops to the sauce reduce heat and cook for 5-10 minutes depending on the size of the scallops. Remove the casserole from the fire. Mix the yokes with some sauce and add to the casserole.
    4. Cook all the preparation slowly, preventing it from boiling, constantly stirring until you get an homogeneous mix.
    5. Place in each shell 4 scallops and cover with the saffron sauce. Serve very hot accompanied by tomato cubes and aromatic herbs.

    SAFFRON BISCUITS

    Ingredients (Two dozens biscuits):

    • 125 g of butter
    • 125 g of sugar
    • 1/2 egg
    • 180 g of flour salt
    • Salt
    • one spoon of baking powder
    • saffron
    • one branch of angelica
    1. Preheat the oven at 180 ºC. Stir the butter previously melted with the sugar until they form a light paste. Mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Stir the egg until it thickens. Mix a little bit of saffron (a quarter of a coffee spoon) with a coffee spoon of water and add it to the butter and sugar. Add the flour and the egg. Stir well.
    2. Cover your hands with flour and knead the paste forming 24 balls. If the paste is too liquid let it cool for a while. Put a little bit of angelica in each ball and place them on aluminum paper slightly greased with oil. Cook the balls in the oven for 25 minutes. Let them cool and finally store them in a metallic tin.

    BOUILLABAISSE SOUP

    Ingredients (4 persons):

    • 1,5 kg of various kinds of fish
    • saffron
    • 3 medium onions
    • 2 stalks of celery
    • 150 cc of olive oil
    • 250 g of mature tomatoes
    • 2 big cloves of garlic
    • 1/2 coffee spoon of dried thyme
    • 1/2 coffee spoon of fennel seeds
    • 1 leaf of laurel
    • half a slice of orange
    • Salt
    • Grounded black pepper

    In this traditional soup herbs and spices are used in large quantities. Use at least six varieties of fish. You can chose among hake, codfish, haddock, red bream, red mullet, turbot, shrimp, crab, eel and prawn.

    1. Prepare the fish. Boil the skin and waste to obtain the broth. Filter the liquid and add the saffron to it.
    2. Peel the onion, celery, tomatoes and garlic, and cut in small pieces. Lightly fry the onions, the celery and the garlic in a big frying pan, then add the tomatoes, the herbs, the slice of orange, the salt and pepper. Add the firm fish and cover with the broth. If the fish is not covered add some water.
    3. Boil slowly for 6-8 minutes. Then add the less firm fish and the seafood and continue cooking for another 8-10 minutes, until all the fish is soft. It is necessary that the fish remains whole.

    PENDA (HINDU SWEETS)

    Ingredients:

    • 3 ½ bowls of milk powder
    • 2 bowls of milk
    • ½ bowl of sugar
    • 3 spoons of double cream
    • 2 spoons of ghee
    • saffron
    • cardamom powder
    • Sliced almonds
    1. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl. Put it in the microwave for 3 minutes. Stir well. Put the mix again in the microwave for another 3 minutes. Repeat the operation for 4-5 times.
    2. When the paste is thick enough, roll it and make small balls. Decorate the balls with some more saffron and almonds.