Alice Waters’ Salsa Verde

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Not sure what to do with that piece of fish you bought; or need to dress up those roasted vegetables. Try this classic Italian green sauce. Salsa verde is simply a sauce made of olive oil and fresh, chopped parsley flavored with lemon zest, garlic and capers. It is so simple, yet it adds enormous flavor (and color) to almost anything. Use this versatile sauce on fish, vegetables, meat, poultry, bread – you name it. While parsley is the main herb, any combination of fresh herbs can replace all or part of the parsley.

Yield 2/3 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
  • grated zest of one lemon
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
  2. Mix well and taste for salt. Adjust the thickness if desired (use less oil for meats and vegetables and more for fish).
  3. Let the sauce sit for a while to develop the flavors.

Note: Other fresh herbs you can use include basil, chives, tarragon, cilantro, marjoram, sage, thyme, mint, rosemary. Experiment with different flavors.

 

Adapted from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food.