I had a bumper crop of Sage last fall. It seemed such a waste to just let it die off as winter approached and, as you might know, I have an issue with “wasting” herbs. (see my “Herb Preserve” post to see how far I’ve gone to save some herbage)

Anyway, I noticed the trend of frying herbs about 2 years ago and hadn’t yet experimented with this idea until last fall.

Frying sage works really well because the leaves are tough. I’ve even seen people dip the leaves in beaten eggs and fry, adding a thick crunch, but I prefer the simple crispiness of naked sage.

This is really simple, but so delicious.

Wash and thoroughly dry each leaf first. Set aside. Add enough oil to a hot skillet to be able to cover the leaves.

Then add each leaf at a time, making sure not to over crowd.

Watch them carefully as they can burn in no time.

As soon as you see them brown remove them to a paper towel to drain and immediately sprinkle with sea salt. You can use the fried leaves as garnish, eat them as-is or top a creamy soup with some.