Bonnie: It is polarizing. I know some people compare the taste of cilantro to soap. But others like me love the flavor it adds to ethnic dishes from ceviche to burritos. Add some to salads, use it in place of basil to make pesto or — of course — in various salsas.

One of my favorite (and quick) uses is for a very *quick bean dip* (from my “Beans” cookbook), made using your favorite salsa. Combine 15-ounce can rinsed and drained black beans, 1 c pan-roasted corn** (see note that follows), 1 diced red and 1 diced yellow bell pepper, 2 minced scallions, 1/3 c chopped cilantro and 16-ounce jar of your favorite salsa.  Serve with tortilla chips.

**NOTE: Pan-Roasted Corn To add flavor to corn when it’s not in season, use frozen (defrosted) corn and toast in a dry skillet, watching carefully, until golden, about 3 minutes over medium heat.

Unless you grow your own, the problem with using cilantro often is finding some that’s really fresh — as supermarket produce misters often leave the bunches soggy. Don Enrique has solved this problem by packaging fresh cilantro in breathable bags similar to those used for bagged salads. This cilantro lasts about 10 days in your fridge. Like bagged salads, the cilantro comes already washed and cleaned. But no, cilantro deriders, no soap is involved.

Bryan: It may say “Don Enrique,” but the quality is Melissa’s. Utilizing a process similar to that used for bagged salads, natural, freshly trimmed cilantro is presented in a longer-lasting format, without the use of preservatives. The California-sourced cilantro is washed, cleaned and ready to use straight from the bag.

Why all the packaging, you might ask? Yes, not exactly the greenest, but packaging allows flexibility in sales and storage, as well as eliminating messy, wet herb bunches that often can result from supermarket displays, with their constant misting. A bunch of ordinary cilantro will barely last a week, but the Don Enrique has up to two weeks’ shelf life, while containing the equivalent weight of a traditional cilantro bunch.

Cilantro is hated by some (with supposed biological factors), but to many it adds fresh, herbal flavor to almost any recipe. If it doesn’t taste like soap to you, may I suggest a wonderful salad that is a traditional presentation of this odd herb:

Cilantro Avocado Salad

Salad
2 heads butter lettuce, torn
1 ripe avocado, sliced
1/2 bunch scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed, chopped

Dressing
2 limes, juiced
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1 T mustard
1/2 t salt
1 t sugar
Black pepper to taste

Mix together lettuce, scallions and cilantro in a large bowl. Mix together the dressing in a small bowl. Toss the salad mixture with half of the dressing. Arrange salad portions on serving plates and top with avocado. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over portions and serve.

Eric: Don Enrique Cilantro isn’t necessarily a Bite of the Best. The technology behind sourcing, cleaning and packaging the cilantro, however, is quite impressive.

I’m sure there are plenty of arguments against the amount of energy that goes into creating the “fresh” packaging for Don Enrique Cilantro (especially the carbon footprints and waste/recycling), and most of them might be valid. On the flip side, though, there is plenty of cilantro wasted in this country from water saturation, rot and downright neglect. At least the die-hard cilantro eaters now have the choice of a fresh(er) option!