Italian Salsa Verde With Parsley and Capers

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

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial 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 May 23, 2024
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 Details

Italian Salsa Verde With Parsley and Capers Recipe

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

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.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
63Calories
6gFat
1gCarbs
1gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g8%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 85mg4%
Total Carbohydrate 1g0%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 8mg38%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 0mg3%
Potassium 42mg1%
*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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