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Vegetables · Salad leaves

Rocket

Peppery, tender salad leaf (rocket) eaten raw or wilted over pizza and pasta.

Also called: arugula, roquette, roka

5 recipes with it

What it is

Rocket (arugula) has small, deeply lobed, dark-green leaves with a hot, mustardy bite. Baby rocket is milder; wild rocket has narrower leaves and is more peppery. It is a brassica, unlike lettuce, and watercress is a different peppery green with round leaves.

Eruca vesicaria / Diplotaxis tenuifolia (wild)

How it’s used

  • Salads with lemon, olive oil and parmesan
  • Scattered over pizza after baking
  • Tossed into warm pasta
  • Blended into pesto
  • Layered in sandwiches

Characteristics

Taste
Peppery, nutty and slightly bitter.
Texture
Tender leaves with thin stems.
When cooked
Wilts instantly with heat; add at the last moment.
Sold as
fresh
Cooking uses
Usually eaten raw, Used as a garnish

Storage

Refrigerated. Keep in its bag or a box with paper towel in the fridge; it wilts and yellows quickly, so use within a few days.

Diet, allergens and safety

No major allergens in typical versions.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy-free
  • Egg-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Nut-free
  • Soy-free
  • Caffeine-free

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy
25 kcal
Protein
2.58 g
Carbohydrate
3.65 g
Fat
0.66 g
Fibre
1.6 g
Sugars
2.05 g

USDA FoodData Central: Arugula, raw.

Substitutes

Optional — what works if you don’t have it, and how it changes the dish.

  • Watercress — Very similar pepperiness; works anywhere raw.
  • Spinach — Baby spinach gives body but none of the bite.

Related ingredients

Recipes with rocket

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