Italian Salsa Verde With Parsley and Capers

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

By
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Daniel Gritzer
Editorial Director

Daniel is the editorial director of Serious Eats, where he leads the site's editorial strategy and oversees everything from recipe development to articles on food science, cooking techniques, and more. He's a former food editor at Food & Wine and has cooked in New York City restaurants.

Learn about Serious Eats' Editorial Process
Updated March 12, 2025
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 5 mins
Active 10 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 16 tablespoons
Makes 1 cup
Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems (3 ounces; 80 g), roughly chopped

  • 2 tablespoons salted capers (3/4 ounce; 25 g), soaked in cold water for 10 minutes to remove excess salt

  • 4 oil-packed anchovy fillets (about 1/2 ounce; 15 g)

  • 2 medium cloves garlic

  • 1 large hard boiled egg

  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh juice from 1 lemon

  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90 ml) 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)
63 Calories
6g Fat
1g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 63
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 12mg 4%
Sodium 85mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 1g 0%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 8mg 38%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0mg 3%
Potassium 42mg 1%
*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.)

More Serious Eats Recipes