I know to name it 'green sauce' sounds a bit technical, it's called salsa verde in Italian and it surely sounds much better. Salsa means sauce and verde means green. This combination of Risotto served with salmon splashed with green sauce was magical. Tasty, hearty and yummy. Our favorite!
If you want to skip all the troubles of making the green sauce, just go to the nearest supermarket and find green pesto made from olives. And voila! You'll have your Risotto Salmone con Salsa Verde in no times!
However, making your own salsa-verde will give you that sense of having an achievement! I mean, come on! You are making your own salsa-verde! Isn't that great! Good on you! So here are two ways to make it :
Green Sauce version 1
Just gathered every herb from the garden for this salsa, and added a few of peppers. Use whatever herbs you have handy; the key is to keep it fresh and vibrant. Simply delicious with the fish.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed
6 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2-3/4 cup good olive oil
2 peppers, stems and seeds removed, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed
6 sprigs fresh thyme, stems removed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2-3/4 cup good olive oil
2 peppers, stems and seeds removed, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
salt and pepper
Preparation: Add all the herbs, garlic, peppers, lemon and lime juice and 2 teaspoons each salt and pepper to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine then slowly drizzle in the olive oil, scraping down the sides as you go. Puree until very well blended. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve in a dish along with the fish; store left over salsa in an airtight container for up to a week.
Green Sauce version 2 (makes 2 cups - you’ll have extra for
later use)
- 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed
- 2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
- 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup(s) fresh lemon juice, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, oregano or basil, chopped
- 3/4–1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cooking Directions
Combine all ingredients, except olive oil, in a food processor or blender and pulse to purée. Add oil slowly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Can be made up to 2 days before using.
Salmon
- 4, 8 ounces, center-cut salmon steaks or a 1- 1/4 pounds salmon fillet (skin on)
- Preheat oven at 220C or preheat grill to medium-high.
- Brush the salmon with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place on preheated oven or grill and cook 6 minutes on first side. Turn and cook until lightly charred and pink in the middle (5 - 10 minutes).
Risotto
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for vegetarian option, and gluten-free stock for gluten-free version)
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided into 4 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped into small cubes
- 100 grams green peas/beans (kacang buncis), small chopped
- ½ can of sweet corns
- 2 cups medium grained white rice
- 1 cup of dry white wine (kalo ga ada, pake air aja)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped garlic
- Salt
Method
1 Heat broth in medium
sized saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a large
saucepan; add onion, cook over medium heat until onion is translucent. Add
carrots, green beans, cover the saucepan with its lid and heat it for about 5 –
10 minutes until carrots and green beans are soft/cooked. Add sweet corn, heat
it and stir for 3 min.
2 Add rice to onion mixed in your saucepan and squash. Cook 2 minutes. Add wine/water. Cook, stirring constantly until water/wine has been absorbed by the rice or evaporated. Add a few ladles of broth, just enough to barely cover rice. Cook over medium heat until broth has been absorbed. Continue cooking and stirring rice, adding a little bit of broth at a time, cooking and stirring until it is absorbed, until the rice is tender, but still firm to the bite, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3 During the last minutes of cooking, add remaining tablespoon of butter, 1/3 cup Parmesan, and garlic. At this point the rice should have a creamy consistency. Add salt to taste. Serve with remaining grated Parmesan.
Serving Tips
Put some risotto on one side
of your plate
Put the salmon on the plate
and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon of green sauce
Add fresh organic salads with
lemon+olive oil dressings to lighten the heavy taste
Buon appetito!
Buon appetito!