For many home cooks, the festive season is a time for culinary showstoppers. According to chef and food writer Tom Hunt, one of the most reliable routes to an impressive dish is a vibrant, homemade salsa verde. His latest recipe champions thriftiness, turning an excess of garden herbs into a sauce that can elevate almost any main course.
The Ultimate Forgiving and Versatile Sauce
Hunt describes this green sauce as "forgiving and endlessly versatile", a last-minute hero that relies on simple store-cupboard staples and whatever herbs need using up. While a traditional salsa verde combines parsley, garlic, capers, anchovies, olive oil, and vinegar, Hunt's philosophy is flexible. The only real rules are that the end result should be green and saucy.
He advocates for using a mix of seasonal herbs to hand, citing his own use of rosemary, sage, lemon verbena, and even nasturtiums from the garden. This approach not only reduces food waste but also creates a uniquely personal flavour profile for each batch.
Hand-Chopped Texture and Make-Ahead Magic
A key tip from Hunt concerns texture. He finds that chopping the herbs by hand yields a superior result to using a blender, though a blender can be used if the herbs are pre-chopped into 10mm pieces first. Another pro tip is to prepare the sauce in advance. "I like salsa verde better once it’s had time to sit and rest," Hunt notes, explaining that this allows the acid to break down the herbs and the flavours to meld. He recommends making it the day before, or first thing in the morning for evening use.
The sauce is designed to pair beautifully with simple roasts, grilled or fried fish, vegetables, or meat, adding a burst of fresh, complex flavour with minimal effort.
Tom Hunt's Thrifty Salsa Verde Recipe
Ingredients:
- 100g mixed fresh herbs (leaves and soft stalks)
- 1 small garlic clove or 1 tbsp finely chopped onion
- 1 pinch coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp finely chopped capers (optional)
- 2 anchovy fillets (optional)
- 3 tbsp stale bread (optional)
- 1½ tbsp vinegar (white wine, red wine, or cider)
- 1 tsp mustard (optional)
- 50-100ml extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
First, gather the herbs into a bunch and finely chop from stalk to leaf, then cross-chop until everything is evenly sized. For a thicker sauce, chop the stale bread into small cubes, toss it with the vinegar, and leave to soak.
Using a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic and sea salt with the capers and anchovies (if using) into a puree. Add all the chopped herbs and pound again for about 30 seconds. Incorporate the soaked bread, or if not using bread, add the vinegar now. Stir in the mustard if desired.
Finally, stir in enough extra-virgin olive oil to achieve your preferred consistency. Season to taste, adjust the acidity if needed, then store in a clean jar. The sauce is best used within a day or two.
This recipe exemplifies a zero-waste approach to festive cooking, proving that a little ingenuity with leftover ingredients can produce the most memorable parts of a meal.
