What to use instead of dried oregano
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
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Pungent dry herb that survives a long cook or high heat
Carvacrol is stable and fat-soluble, so unlike most herbs oregano holds up through an hour in a sauce or under a grill. Drying concentrates it, which is why dried is the standard form here rather than a compromise.
Dried marjoramRan out
1:1
Same family, sweeter and gentler. A pizza sauce made with it tastes rounder and loses its sharp edge.
Dried thymeRan out
1:1
Woodier and more floral, less peppery. It suits potatoes and lamb and sits oddly in a Greek salad.
Italian seasoningRan out
1 1/2 tsp per 1 tsp oregano
Oregano is usually the largest part of it, so it works. Basil and rosemary come along, and the rosemary is the one you will taste.
Za'atarRan out
1 1/2 tsp per 1 tsp oregano
Brings sumac sourness and sesame, so pull back a little on the lemon. Very good on grilled chicken.
Dried basilRan out
1:1
Sweeter and much weaker once heated. It dies out over a long sauce and needs topping up at the end.
What doesn't work: Mexican oregano where the recipe means Greek. It is a different plant in the verbena family, citrusy and resinous rather than peppery, and in a horiatiki or a souvlaki marinade it fights the feta and the lemon instead of backing them up.
Rubbed finishing herb on grilled meat or a raw salad
Crushed between the fingers as it goes on, dried oregano releases its oil directly onto the surface where you taste it undiluted. This is the one job where dried genuinely beats fresh.
Greek oregano still on the stalk, crumbled offRan out
1:1
Stronger and more resinous than a supermarket jar, so use a little less until you know the batch.
Dried marjoramRan out
1:1
Softer and sweeter. On grilled lamb it reads gentler and slightly floral.
Fresh oregano, chopped, added after restingRan out
1 tbsp fresh per 1 tsp dried
Greener and much milder, and it wilts the instant it touches hot meat, so it goes on at the end rather than before the grill.
What doesn't work: Fresh oregano measured spoon for spoon against dried. Fresh is about three quarters water, so a teaspoon of it carries roughly a third of the flavour; a Greek salad seasoned that way tastes of olive oil and nothing else.