green sauce
Green sauce with grilled vegetables and halloumi for a vegetarian feast. Tangy and herbaceous, this sauce is also the bomb with steak, salmon, chicken, and whole grilled fish (basically everything).
I’ve been making this favorite green herb sauce for decades—plural. Originally based on a recipe from Patricia Wells, I’ve put my own spins on it and adapt it to what I have on hand, and I find it a terrific way to use up extra herbs and ugly outer leaves of lettuce that would normally get thrown out. In the years when I was working as a personal chef, I would regularly serve a batch of this sauce with grilled summer and fall dinners: whole fish, sliced steak, grilled vegetables and halloumi, you name it.
Green sauce recipe
Makes around a cup
Ingredients:
1 small shallot, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons capers (brined type—or salted capers if soaked and drained)
2-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar (white wine, cider vinegar, or a blend of these is also OK)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 heaping handful mixed green herbs and sturdy lettuces: arugula, parsley, mint, tarragon, dill, basil, and cilantro are all great options. It’s best to have 3 or 4 varieties in balance, and thin stems are OK to throw in. Avoid “hard” herbs such as rosemary, sage, and oregano.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or to taste
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Instructions:
Chop cleaned and dried herbs. Throw shallot, capers, vinegar, and mustard into a blender or food processor and mix for a couple of minutes to break them down—you still want a good deal of texture. Add in the herbs and some of the oil and mix some more, wiping down the sides of the blender with a spatula. Add the oil in phases and continue to pulse or blend in short spurts. The idea is to chop it all up and blend it but leave some texture. You don’t want it to look like a smoothie! Serve at room temperature and give it a stir if it separates.