Confusingly, the words for sauce and green are identical in Spanish and Italian. This sauce is the Italian salsa verde. I’ll keep saying this over and over: don’t let the anchovies put you off. They blend into the background of the sauce and give it a salty-earthy complexity.
This is one of my favorite sauces. When I’m pressed for time, I can quickly grill some fish, and instantly make something great by pouring the sauce over. But it’s also great to finish a soup or even on a steak.
The base for this recipe is due to Felcity Cloake and her excellent Perfect series.
Ingredients
- 1 shallot, finely minced
- 30 g red wine vinegar
- 4 anchovies, rinsed of salt and finely chopped
- 20 g flat-leaf parsley
- 20 g basil
- 15 g capers, roughly chopped
- 120 to 150 g olive oil
Method
Place the shallots in a small bowl along with the red wine vinegar. Quick pickle the shallots in the vinegar for 30 to 45 minutes.
Spoon the shallots along with the anchovies, parsley, basil, and capers into a mortar, and crush them into a paste. Then slowly pour in the olive oil until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Add some of the pickling vinegar to taste.