I’ve got a simple little recipe for you today that might just change every meal you eat this week. This super salsa verde is something I whipped up early last week just to use up some withering herbs in the fridge, but I ended up liking it so much that I actually made it two more times over the course of the week.

Given that the whole point of a salsa verde like this one is to bring bright, fresh flavor to a dish, you might expect that this would taste best right after it is made. Surprisingly, though, I actually liked the salsa even more the following day, when the grassy herbs had fully infused themselves into the fruity olive oil. So go ahead, make a big batch today and have it ready to go for the rest of the next few days.

Over the course of the week, I experimented with this little condiment in a number of ways. I found that it really added something special to a fried egg, and I loved having it on hand to use as salad dressing. Perhaps my favorite use was as a sauce over a simple piece of white fish; its acidity and vibrant green color really brought to life a bland filet of Dover sole. I’m sure you’ll find plenty of uses for this salsa, too, and I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Super Salsa Verde

Makes about 1 cup

I used parsley and mint as the herbs in my salsa verde and I really liked the way they played off each other. Having said that, you could – and should – use whatever herbs are available to you. Replace the parsley with cilantro and experiment with some basil or tarragon in the mix. 

The nuts in the recipe are also fairly interchangeable, so long as you choose something fairly oily (you want a nut that actually feels greasy in your hand). I would certainly have subbed in some delicious Marcona almonds or skinned hazelnuts if I had them around.

Ingredients:

 Parsley, 1 medium handful

Mint, about half as much as the parsley

2-3 garlic cloves

1/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped

1 heaping tablespoon capers, chopped

1 lemon

Olive oil

Sea salt and red pepper flakes

Stem and chop herbs: Pull the leaves from the stems of the parsley and mint. Gather them together all in one fist and form them into a tight ball. Place this fist on the counter and pull back your fingers to expose your herb ball. Tuck in any bits of herbs that have fallen out, and with your sharpest knife quickly chop the herbs, inching back your fingers as you work through the herbs. This is my tactic for chopping up a pile of herbs, and it works really well. Run your knife through the mess of chopped herbs two or three more times so that you have fine shreds of herbs. Move the herbs to a mixing bowl.

Add in ingredients through lemon: Using a microplane, grate the garlic into the mixing bowl. Add in the nuts and capers. Also using the microplane, zest the lemon whole, then squeeze in the juice from one half. Stir ingredients to combine.

Stir in the olive oil: Slowly begin to add olive oil, stirring the salsa as you stream it in. It is up to you how much oil you want to add. About 1/4 cup should be enough to bring the ingredients together, though you could add more if you want a looser salsa. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste.

Serve or store: Spoon the salsa over anything and everything – it’s really versatile. If not using right away, store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for no more than three days.