Food Ingredients Seasonings 24 Saffron Recipes to Showcase the World's Most Expensive Spice By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 3, 2022 Close Photo: © Con Poulos Saffron is known as the world's most expensive spice because of the labor intensive process to cultivate just a single ounce. But a little goes a long way. Once used to make medicines and dye cloth a dark yellow, this pungent and aromatic spice flavors drinks as well as foods like paella and risotto. Here, we're highlighting our favorite saffron recipes, including Rosewater and Saffron Ice Cream, Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron, and Squid Pizza with Saffron Aioli. 01 of 24 Saffron Chicken Tagine John Kernick Our version of North Africa's deeply flavored tagine is designed for a large enameled cast-iron casserole, no earthenware tagine necessary. Don't be intimidated by the long list of ingredients; it consists mostly of spices and easy-to-find staples that you'll use over and over. Get the Recipe 02 of 24 Shrimp with Saffron Rice and Fennel Salad © Con Poulos Chef Joshua Hopkins uses Aleppo pepper and saffron from spice importer Behroush Sharifi in this decadent, Carolina-style shrimp with rice that would qualify as a stunt double for shrimp and grits. Get the Recipe 03 of 24 Bastani Irani (Rosewater and Saffron Ice Cream) © Con Poulos This fragrant ice cream is redolent with flavor. It's traditionally served between two thin wafers to make ice cream sandwiches, but it's equally delicious on its own. Get the Recipe 04 of 24 Safran Şerbeti (Saffron Cordial) Photo by Eva Kolenko / Food Styling by Carrie Purcell / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox In Turkish culture, this floral, citrusy, sweet cordial is believed to have protective properties: If someone trips on a flat path, it's poured on the spot to ward off the evil eye. Magical properties aside, this chilled, sunshine-yellow drink gets its hue from saffron threads; grinding them with sugar helps them dissolve easily. Get the Recipe 05 of 24 Mexican Shrimp Cocktail with Saffron Jen Causey In this coctél de camarón recipe, saffron is mixed with charred bell pepper, tomato, onion, and garlic to build an umami-filled stock. Combined with the saucy shrimp and all the cucumber, tomato, onion, cilantro, and avocado, this dish is suitable for a complete lunch. Eat it with some good tostadas or saltine crackers. Get the Recipe 06 of 24 Saffron Cucumber Pickles © Anna Williams For this recipe from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, English cucumbers are pickled in a brine made of Champagne vinegar, dry white wine, sugar, salt, and saffron. They're especially wonderful served with fish like salmon, swordfish, tuna, and mackerel. Get the Recipe 07 of 24 Skillet Chicken and Chorizo Paella Photo by Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford This recipe builds layers of flavors as you sauté aromatics in the same pan you've used to sear the chorizo and chicken. From delicately floral saffron to smoky paprika and a bright lemony finish, this one-pan meal has it all. Get the Recipe 08 of 24 Saffron Spaghetti with Santa Barbara Spot Prawns Aubrie Pick Spot prawns are incredibly sweet, with plump, tender tails reminiscent of lobster. Be sure to remove the prawns from the pan before finishing the sauce to keep them from overcooking. Get the Recipe 09 of 24 Chicken Breasts with Spinach, Leek, and Saffron Sauce © Dana Gallagher This dish is all about its luxurious sauce. The saffron threads are crumbled into dry white wine, which then gets cooked with butter, leeks, garlic, spinach, and cream. Pair it with an Austrian Grüner Veltliner. Get the Recipe 10 of 24 Squid Pizza with Saffron Aïoli © James Baigrie Chef Michael Emanuel, an alumnus of Berkeley's Chez Panisse, tops this pizza with an irresistible mix of Provençal flavors: salty-sweet roasted squid, creamy aïoli, and crushed red pepper (French piment d'Espelette would also work well). The remaining aïoli can be used as a dip for vegetables or a spread for sandwiches. Get the Recipe 11 of 24 Creamy Saffron Risotto © James Merrell Risotto alla Milanese, the traditional accompaniment to osso buco, is flavored with saffron, which is the world's most expensive spice. The deep red filaments are the dried stigmas of a variety of crocus and they're harvested exclusively by hand. Each crocus has three stigmas and it takes more than 14,000 to make one ounce of saffron. Get the Recipe 12 of 24 Saffron Rice with Cashews and Raisins © Kristin Gladney Our Indian-inspired rice calls for traditional basmati, but Texmati rice is a good substitution; in fact, any white rice is good prepared this way. Substitute almonds for the cashews if you prefer. Get the Recipe 13 of 24 Monkfish Stew with Saffron Broth © Oddur Thorisson French food writer Mimi Thorisson makes a quick and easy fish stew, flavoring the luscious broth with white wine, saffron, and aromatic vegetables. Pair this light stew with a crisp, medium-bodied white Bordeaux. Get the Recipe 14 of 24 Saffron Fingerling Potato Salad with Mixed Greens and Tomatoes © Stephanie Foley 2002 F&W Best New Chef Michael Anthony includes just a few coins of tender, saffron-flavored fingerling potatoes in his 50-ingredient warm vegetable salad. We've reimagined those fingerlings for this light, fresh take on a potato salad, tossed with fennel, tomatoes, and plenty of greens. Get the Recipe 15 of 24 Risotto-Style Ditalini with Mussels, Clams, and Saffron © Fredrika Stjärne For this creamy dish, chefs Tyler Rodde and Curtis Di Fede use a fish stock to cook pasta slowly, risotto-style. If you can't find ditalini, look for another small pasta shape or pearl couscous. Get the Recipe 16 of 24 Jalebi Anna Stockwell Anytime around Diwali, you'll find golden, translucent, crispy, sticky, jewel-like jalebis in boxes stacked up high inside mithai shops and Indian grocery stores all around the world. Jalebi, a Persian-origin sweet that is popular in India, is made from batter that's drizzled into hot oil to deep-fry it, then briefly soaked in a fragrant saffron- and cardamom-infused syrup. Get the Recipe 17 of 24 Le Grand (Saffron) Aïoli Con Poulos Embrace the start of spring with this poached vegetable and shrimp spread. Garlicky aïoli infused with saffron provides a pop of flavor and color as a delicious dip for those crisp-tender veggies and succulent bites of shrimp. Get the Recipe 18 of 24 Saffron Rice Pudding Jen Causey This simple but gorgeous dessert makes use of the extra box of rice you might have left over from last night's takeout. By simmering the rice gently in milk with a few threads of saffron, you can create a luxurious dessert, a golden pudding topped with ruby pomegranate seeds. Get the Recipe 19 of 24 Seafood Stew with Saffron Zabaglione © Quentin Bacon For this brothy stew full of wonderfully moist snapper, tender squid, and plump mussels and clams, prepare the ingredients separately so nothing becomes over- or undercooked. To make the lush saffron zabaglione, which gets stirred into the stew, egg yolks are cooked slowly in wine over the gentle heat of simmering water. Get the Recipe 20 of 24 Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb Frittata) © Con Poulos Kuku Sabzi is the Persian version of a frittata. Shredded carrots, onion, zucchini, and potato give it excellent texture — light and airy but deeply satisfying — while saffron adds the distinct Persian flavor. Get the Recipe 21 of 24 Cioppino with Fennel and Saffron Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Max Rappaport An abundance of seafood and three types of fennel (bulb, seed, and pollen) infuse chef Brandon Boudet's version of this San Francisco fish stew with remarkable flavor, while Calabrian chile paste and crushed red pepper add a subtle layer of heat. Because the West Coast is famous for its Dungeness crab, a large orange crab with meaty claws, it makes a dramatic showing in this seafood-packed dish. Get the Recipe 22 of 24 Mussels with Saffron and Citrus © Fredrika Stjärne For this dish, chef Mourad Lahlou simmers mussels in a lovely saffron cream sauce. Lahlou prefers to use Mediterranean mussels. "They're plump, juicy, and don't toughen up as much as other varieties when you cook them," he says. Get the Recipe 23 of 24 Persian Roasted Chicken with Dried Cherry-Saffron Rice © Quentin Bacon Chef Anoosh Shariat likes to use super-tart dried sour cherries in this buttery, fragrant rice dish, but raisins, dates, or pecans are also delicious. Get the Recipe 24 of 24 Saffron Shrimp and Stuffed Cherry Peppers © James Baigrie Mildly hot Italian cherry peppers are packed with corn and Manchego cheese custard. They're baked and served warm with shrimp that's been simmered in saffron-infused wine and marinated with garlicky anchovies. Additional Manchego cheese, green olives, Serrano ham, and bread make great accompaniments. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit