Salsa Verde makes almost everything taste better

Salsa verde is one of my favourite condiments and is about to become yours too!

Salsa verde is a power player for your fridge – it’s easy to make and happy to hang out, and makes so many things taste brighter and better with just one spoonful. Flavour, with a capital F!

Likely you’ve had salsa verde before at a really great cafe or restaurant, but it’s super easy to make at home and gives anything savoury a little extra *chef’s kiss*.

I think of it like a cousin of pesto, but made with ingredients that are easier to find year round. When I am lamenting the end of basil season I turn to my old friend salsa verde to add that punchy vibrance to the end of a dish. A little lift, a breath of extra life. A jar of sunshine ready to be dolloped right on my plate.

Maximum flavour, ready to go in your fridge.

Drizzle some on a pizza, spread some on a sandwich, add a little to grilled fish or halloumi, or adorn a fried or boiled egg on toast! Salsa verde will make almost everything taste better with very little effort at all.

Making salsa verde is really just as simple as chopping a bunch of ingredients together into a chunky, punchy paste. No need to be too careful – only careful enough to take care of your fingers – just chop, chop, chop away until everything is blended well and is a kind of fine, kind of chunky texture.

Anchovies and capers add a salty complexity, which is a perfect friend to the fresh green parsley which grows for me almost year round. Basil will always have my heart, but parsley is my workhorse. Add the zest of a bright lemon and a little garlic plus a good amount of olive oil and you have a jar of brightness to help uplift even the dreariest day.

Salsa verde makes almost everything taste better and your week more delicious.

Salsa verde is one of my favourite condiments to make as it lasts so well and can add extra flavour to so many things. Make a jar for the week and then put it on almost anything to make things that little bit punchier – roasted potatoes, pizza (a million times yes!), grilled fish or any roasted vegetable; it’s awesome just to have a jar in the fridge as a flavour bomb ready to go. 

I use a microplane to grate the garlic and lemon zest to make it speedy and get it nice and fine. Feel free to mix up the citrus zest (orange is also great!), add extra olive oil to make it more mellow, and add or subtract the anchovy and capers if either of those really are, or really aren’t your thing – although in my version they are always welcome. Parsley is my go to herb as it grows almost year round in my yard, but feel free to mix up the herbs and put your own spin on it! It’s flexible and wants to make your life more delicious; make it yours.

Salsa Verde

Makes around 1 cup.

1 cup (25g) chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 anchovy fillets in oil
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil
Good pinch of flaked salt

Roughly chop the parsley on a chopping board. Add the anchovy fillets and capers on top, and chop these into the parsley until the anchovies and capers are finely chopped and are well incorporated into the parsley. Transfer to a glass bowl or jar and finely grate in the garlic clove and lemon zest using a microplane. Stir through the red wine vinegar, olive oil and a good pinch of salt flakes to taste.

Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. Put on everything.

Print Recipe

Salsa Verde

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Condiment

By Amber Rossouw – Serves: around 1 cup

Prep Time: 5 - 10 minutes Total Time: 5 - 10 minutes

Salsa verde is one of my favourite condiments to make as it lasts so well and can add extra flavour to so many things. Make a jar for the week and then put it on almost anything to make things that little bit punchier – roasted potatoes, pizza (a million times yes!), grilled fish or any roasted vegetable; it’s awesome just to have a jar in the fridge as a flavour bomb ready to go.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (25g) chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 anchovy fillets in oil
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 garlic clove
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Good pinch of flaked salt

Instructions

1

Roughly chop the parsley on a chopping board.

2

Add the anchovy fillets and capers on top, and chop these into the parsley until the anchovies and capers are finely chopped and are well incorporated into the parsley.

3

Transfer to a glass bowl or jar and finely grate in the garlic clove and lemon zest using a microplane.

4

Stir through the red wine vinegar, olive oil and a good pinch of salt flakes to taste.

Enjoy on socca pizza or a frittata!