Fresh green hazelnut

Noisette fraîche

What it is

A green hazelnut kernel is close to half water; drying takes it below a tenth of its weight, and that single number is the entire difference between the two ingredients. It is also why the fresh nut is sold by the day in late summer and never appears on a shelf — it moulds inside its own shell within a week.

In the kitchen

Crack them the moment you want them and rub the pellicle off with a thumb — it slips while the nut is fresh and welds on within days. Shave them raw over crudo or into a sharp salad; any heat at all destroys them.

Goes with

Sea bass Olive oil Lemon Celery Goat cheese Peach

Same species

Cervione hazelnut Gianduja Hazelnut Hazelnut flour Hazelnut oil Piedmont hazelnut

In season alongside

Sweetfish (ayu) Borage Brousse du Rove Cucumber Fresh walnut Lettuce

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