Green Sauce with Herbs, Capers and Anchovies

On Easter Eve I cooked a wedding dinner for two good friends and 75 guests. The menu was cauliflower soup with bacon, leg of lamb with mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chanterelles and green sauce, followed by panna cotta with orange coulis.

Several people asked for the sauce recipe. It is inspired by Fergus Henderson’s green sauce, and I first got the idea from another chef at an event. Thanks to Thomas for that.

This is a roughly chopped herb sauce in the same family as salsa verde. Serve it at room temperature with lamb, other roasted or grilled meats, fish, potatoes or grilled vegetables.

Green Sauce with Herbs, Capers and Anchovies

Ingredients

• 50 g anchovy fillets in oil, drained
• 100 g capers, drained
• 1 pot mint
• 1 pot dill
• 1 pot flat-leaf parsley
• 1 pot curly parsley
• 5–8 tarragon leaves
• 3 garlic cloves
• 200–300 ml good olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• A little lemon juice, optional

Use fresh herbs. Dried herbs will not give you the same sauce.

Method

1. Drain the anchovies and capers well.
2. Finely chop the anchovies, capers, herbs and garlic by hand. The sauce should retain some texture, so do not blend it completely smooth.
3. Mix in 200 ml olive oil. Add more until the sauce is loose but not runny.
4. Season with pepper. The anchovies and capers usually provide enough salt.
5. If the sauce needs more freshness, add a little lemon juice.
6. Leave it for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavours can settle.

About the anchovies

The anchovies should not dominate or make the sauce taste fishy. They dissolve into the other ingredients and contribute salt and umami. The capers do the same. If you are unsure, start with half the anchovies and adjust to taste.

Storage

The sauce can be made the day before. Keep it covered in the fridge and take it out well before serving. Stir in a little extra olive oil if it has thickened.