Literally translating to ‘green sauce’, salsa verde is often served in Italy as an accompaniment to light pasta dishes, as a dressing for summer salads or paired with roasted chicken or fish for a main meal. Whilst it is similar in appearance to green pesto, particularly the classic pesto alla Genovese, they are not the same thing, though they are often confused outside of Italy. The key difference between pesto and salsa verde is that the latter does not contain pine nuts or cheese, two of the key ingredients in the traditional Ligurian pesto. A delicious salsa verde is incredibly quick to whip up and is the perfect pairing for many varieties of fresh pasta. Try our recipe today!
The ingredients for a salsa verde can vary depending on what you’ve got to hand and what sort of things are in season. Chuck in any herbs you’ve got lying around and it’s sure to taste good. Our head chef Roberta sometimes likes to add anchovy fillets to her salsa to pack even more flavour, so anything goes!
We like to make our salsa verde by hand, chopping the ingredients and mixing them together in a bowl. But if you want to save time, then throwing everything into a blender and blitzing it for a moment should do the trick.
Make Our Super Easy Salsa Verde
Serves: 4
Prep Time: Less than 10 mins
Calories per serving: 406 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 small pack fresh tarragon or fresh fennel fronds, roughly chopped
- 1 large pack fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (use wild garlic if you have it)
- 3tsp Dijon mustard
- 3tbsp capers, rinsed and roughly chopped
- 200ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1tsp sea salt
Method
- Combine the chopped herbs, garlic and salt in a large bowl.
- Mix in the mustard and the chopped capers. Pour in the olive oil and combine thoroughly.
- Finally, slowly add the vinegar, tasting the sauce as you go to ensure it doesn’t become overpowered.
- Serve with pasta or a fresh salad. Buon appetito!
At Pasta Evangelists, we bring a taste of Italy to your kitchen. Prepared using the freshest ingredients, our gourmet pasta dishes are perfect for those looking to enjoy restaurant-quality meals, delivered to your door, and ready in under five minutes. Order from our weekly menu today, and we’ll offer you 25% off your first delivery - simply enter the code BLOG25 at checkout.
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