I used to think that salsa was a spicy tomato sauce served with most dishes in Mexican restaurants. When I ran across a recipe for salsa verde, I was confused. The ingredients included herbs, capers, lemon and olive oil, but no tomatoes. Since it took about 10 minutes to make, I decided to try it. It did not look like salsa, and it did not taste like salsa, but it was wonderful - herby, lemony, and refreshing. In Spanish, the word "salsa" means sauce - any sauce, not just the tomato based one. "Verde" means green. So the sauce I made was rightly called a salsa even though it had no tomatoes. What still puzzled me is the origin of this sauce. I looked through more than 20 salsa verde recipes. No two were the same, but there were two very distinct groups. One group of recipes used herbs, lemon, and oil. The other group used tomatillos and chiles and was often described as "Mexican" salsa verde. The sauce I made was definitely not Mexican. It had unmistakable Mediterranean flavors, so my second guess at salsa verde's origin was Spain. Surprisingly, most of the sources I found indicated that salsa verde was Italian. I thought it odd that an Italian sauce would have a Spanish name. I asked my Italian friend Gaia about it, and she said that "salsa verde" meant "green sauce" in Italian too. The mystery was solved.

Salsa verde is a perfect summer sauce. It is very easy to make and adds a refreshing burst of flavor to many summer dishes. It is a great marinade and topping for grilled and broiled fish, seafood, chicken, beef, and lamb. One time, I had leftovers of salsa verde, and it made a wonderful bread dip. This gave me an idea to use it as a sandwich spread instead of mayo. It is also a great conversation starter. My dinner guests always ask me what is this yummy sauce that looks like pesto? "It's salsa verde," I say. "Salsa? This can't be salsa. Where are the tomatoes?"

Salsa verde
The only essential herb in salsa verde is parsley. You can use any herb combination, but here is a sample mix. Except for chives, all the herbs are not chopped when measured.

Ingredients	Directions
1 cup parsley leaves lightly packed 1 cup cilantro leaves lightly packed 1/4 cup rosemary leaves 1/4 cup chives coarsely chopped 1 garlic clove minced 2 Tbsp capers drained Zest of 1 lemon Juice of 1 lemon 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper	Process the herbs, capers, garlic, zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor until finely chopped. Scrape down the bowl with a spoon or spatula as necessary to make sure all the herbs get chopped finely.
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil	With a food processor running, slowly pour in the oil through a feed tube. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and process until well mixed. Correct seasoning. Transfer the sauce to a bowl. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.