Italian salsa verde
15 min · 1 g protein · 59 cals / serving
The punchy Italian green sauce: chopped parsley, basil and mint with salty capers, anchovy and garlic, sharpened with red wine vinegar and lemon and loosened with good olive oil. Bright, briny and herby, it wakes up anything grilled or roasted.
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch fresh parsley, leaves, finely chopped
- a small handful fresh basil, finely chopped
- a few sprigs fresh mint, leaves, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
- 4 fillets anchovies, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Steps
- Chop the herbs, capers, anchovies and garlic together on a board until fine but not a paste. Scrape into a bowl.
- Stir in the mustard, vinegar and lemon juice, then the olive oil, water and pepper. It should be loose and spoonable; capers and anchovies bring the salt, so taste before adding any. Best after 30 minutes and keeps 3 days in the fridge (bring it back to room temperature).
Good to know
What do I serve it with?
Grilled or roast meats (it is the classic with bollito misto and roast beef), grilled fish and shrimp, and boiled potatoes or roast vegetables.
Why some water?
Traditional salsa verde uses twice the oil. A couple of spoonfuls of water keep it loose and spoonable with half the oil, while the herbs, capers and anchovy carry the flavor.
Not the Mexican one?
Right: Mexican salsa verde is a tomatillo and chili salsa. This is the Italian herb sauce, closer to chimichurri or a rough pesto without cheese.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 211
- Protein
- (5%)
- 3 g
- Fat
- (89%)
- 21 g
- Carbohydrates
- (5%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 413 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 475 kcal goes into the pot and 227 g of ingredients comes out as about 225 g of food: 211 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.