Herbs and Spices

Premium Grade Saffron Threads

PREMIUM GRADE SAFFRON THREADS
PREMIUM GRADE SAFFRON THREADS
Mpc: H202 | GTIN:

Premium Grade Saffron Threads

Offering the deepest color and fullest flavor possible, our Premium Grade Saffron Threads impart delicate, luxurious flavor and bright golden color to traditional dishes like paella, risotto, breads and bouillabaisse.

  • Highest international quality grade for saffron (ISO Grade 1)

  • Deep red to bright orange in color, threads measuring up to 1 inch

  • Mellow, grassy, slightly bitter flavor with sweet, floral aroma

  • Product of Spain

    • This product will be returning soon!

    Suggested uses

  • Delicate flavor complements light meats, fish and poultry

  • Use to season rice dishes such as Spanish paella, rice pilaf, Italian risotto and Mexican yellow rice

  • Combine with white wine, cream, garlic and butter to top pasta, poultry or fish

  • Add a pinch to tomato-based sauces or beef stew for a delicious and exotic twist

  • Use to give bouillabaisse its characteristic heady aroma and golden color

  • Add to baked goods like saffron buns, a traditional element of Swedish Christmas celebrations

  • Many recipes call for a "pinch" of saffron threads, which translates to about 20 medium threads, or slightly less of our Premium Grade Saffron Threads

    • Basic prep

    Ready to use. Add to taste. However, for best flavor and color, lightly toast threads in a dry pan to release their essential oils then crush prior to use, either with fingers or mortar and pestle. When adding threads to dishes with very little liquid, soak saffron first in lukewarm water and add at the end of cooking.

    Storage & handling

    Store in a dry, cool place.

    Ingredients

    Saffron threads.

    Offering a fragrant, subtly sweet aroma and mellow, slightly grassy flavor, our Premium Grade Saffron Threads lend vibrant color and distinct, unique flavor to dishes.

    Saffron threads, which are the dried stigmas of the saffron crocus flower (Crous sativus), range from deep red to bright orange in color and measure up to 1 inch long. Each saffron crocus flower blossom produces only three stigmas, which must be laboriously hand-harvested once a year during a short three-week blooming period. Due to this, saffron is the most expensive spice in the world – it takes approximately 4,600 flowers to produce just one ounce of saffron threads. The elegant saffron crocus flower is believed to be native to Southwest Asia, and today most of the world’s saffron comes from Spain, Iran, Greece, India, Portugal, Italy, Turkey and France.

    Saffron is most often used to infuse delicate flavor and bright golden color into traditional dishes such as paella, risotto, certain Eastern European breads and the French fish soup bouillabaisse. For centuries, saffron's primary use was medicinal, but today it is revered and appreciated for its unique flavor and intense coloring ability.

    Our Premium Grade Saffron Threads are of the highest attainable quality, receiving a Grade 1 from the ISO and offering the deepest color and fullest flavor possible. Grades 2 and 3 exist for less intensely colored saffron threads, but much of what is sold in the marketplace does not qualify for any of these grades, as coloring intensity varies widely from flower to flower, especially based on its age. Generally, the best, most vibrant saffron threads are harvested when the perennial plant is between 3 and 5 years old.

    Classic recipe

    Classic Risotto alla Milanese

    Arborio, Carnaroli and Vialone Nano are the 3 basic rices used to make Italian risotto. This classic version is flavored with Saffron Threads which add delicate aroma and the signature color.

    Classic Risotto alla Milanese