Italian Salsa Verde With Parsley and Capers Recipe

Rich and pungent with parsley, olive oil, anchovies, capers, and garlic.

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Senior Culinary Director
Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.
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Updated Feb. 22, 2023
A small bowl of Italian salsa verde.

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Salted capers add a cleaner vegetal flavor than brined ones.
  • Adding a hard boiled egg, an old Italian trick, helps emulsify and enrich the sauce.

This bright green sauce made from parsley, olive oil, and garlic is thick and rich, with a briny kick thanks to anchovies and capers. A hard boiled egg helps emulsify the sauce, and adds a savory depth that's hard to beat. It's delicious with poached and simmered meats, eggs, and on sandwiches.

January 2018

Recipe Facts

5

(1)

Prep: 10 mins
Active: 10 mins
Total: 10 mins
Serves: 16 tablespoons
Makes: 1 cup

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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems (3 ounces; 80g), roughly chopped

  • 2 tablespoons salted capers (3/4 ounce; 25g), soaked in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess salt

  • 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets (about 1/2 ounce; 15g)

  • 2 medium cloves garlic

  • 1 large hard boiled egg

  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) fresh juice from 1 lemon

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90ml) extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. In a blender jar, or using an immersion blender, purée together parsley, capers, anchovies, garlic, boiled egg, and lemon juice until creamy; scrape down sides as necessary to blend everything evenly. Add olive oil and pulse briefly to emulsify. Season with salt.

Special Equipment

Blender or immersion blender

Make-Ahead and Storage

Salsa verde can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
63 Calories
6g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 85mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 8mg 38%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 42mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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