Salsa Verde from
Any Wilting Herbs

Fresh herbs are one of the most commonly wasted things in a home kitchen. You buy a bunch of parsley for one recipe and use four sprigs. You buy cilantro for tacos and have two-thirds of it left. Three days later it's soft and you throw it away. This recipe is the answer to that problem.

Salsa verde — literally "green sauce" — is one of the most versatile things you can make. Italian-style salsa verde with parsley, capers, and anchovy. Argentinian chimichurri with parsley, oregano, and chili. Mexican-style with cilantro, lime, and jalapeño. All of these are variations on the same idea: blended fresh herbs, acid, oil, and aromatics, adjusted to taste.

You can make it with parsley alone. With whatever mixture of herbs is looking tired. With basil that's started to spot, cilantro that's slightly wilted, mint that's been around too long. The blending process revives all of it. Ten minutes from wilting herbs to a sauce that makes anything it touches taste better.

What you need

• 2 large handfuls fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, or any combination)
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon capers or 1 anchovy fillet (optional but excellent)
• Zest and juice of half a lemon
• 4–6 tablespoons good olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• Optional: pinch of chili flakes, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

How to make it

Step 1: Prep the herbs. Wash and spin or pat dry. Pick the leaves from any thick woody stems — parsley and cilantro stems are fine to include, they add flavor. Rosemary or thyme stems are too tough. If there are any brown or truly slimy leaves, pull those out. Everything else is fine, including slightly soft or wilted leaves.

Step 2: Into the blender. Add herbs, garlic, capers or anchovy if using (both add savory depth), lemon zest and juice, a generous pinch of salt, and any optional additions. If you're doing this without a machine, chop everything very finely on a board and transfer to a bowl.

Step 3: Add oil gradually. With the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. Start with four tablespoons and see where the consistency lands. More oil makes a looser, more dressing-like sauce. Less oil makes something chunkier and more rustic. Both are correct — it depends what you're using it for.

Step 4: Taste and adjust. This step matters more than any other. Is it bright enough? More lemon. Flat? More salt. Too acidic? More olive oil. Not punchy enough? Another small garlic clove. Too bitter? A tiny pinch of sugar. The sauce should make you want to put it on everything. Keep adjusting until it does.

Step 5: Store properly. Transfer to a small jar. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface — this prevents oxidation and keeps the sauce green for longer. Refrigerate. Good for five days.

How to use it

On scrambled eggs or a frittata. On pasta — a big spoonful tossed through right before serving. Spooned over grilled or roasted chicken. With roasted vegetables. On toast with good cheese. As a sandwich spread. On a grain bowl. As a dipping sauce for bread at dinner. Mixed into yogurt for a sauce that goes with almost anything.

The Italian version — parsley, capers, anchovy, lemon — is the classic for grilled meats. The Latin version — cilantro, lime, jalapeño, cumin — goes with tacos, rice, beans. A basil-heavy version with parmesan and pine nuts is basically pesto. The variations are infinite; the technique is always the same.

What to do with leftover herb stems

Don't throw them away. Parsley and cilantro stems in a pot of rice or broth. Tied into a bundle and simmered in soups. Chopped fine and added to sauces where the texture won't matter. Herb stems have more flavor than most people realize and they're free.

More ways to use what you have: Stop wasting food: a chef's system · Quick fridge pickles in 20 minutes · How to use up leftover vegetables