Olive Salsa Recipe: A Sauce For Fish, Vegetables & Eggs

February 21, 2017 at 8:58 am · Filed under Fish-Seafood-Caviar, Recipes, Tip Of The Day, Vegetables-Salads-Herbs

[1] Fish with salsa verde (photos #1 and #2 © Good Eggs).

Cauliflower With Olive Sauce
[2] Cauliflower with salsa verde.

[3] Castelvetrano olives (photo © DiBruno Bros).

[4] Cerignola olives (photo © Miccio), our favorite green olives..

Many Americans think that salsa is a spicy tomato and chile dip for tortilla chips.

In fact, salsa is the Spanish word for sauce of any kind. Salsa de chocolate, for example, is chocolate sauce.

The Spanish word salsa derives from the Latin salsa, meaning salty, which itself derives from the Latin sal, salt (most Spanish salsas are not salty, however, but spicy).

Not all salsas are Mexican in origin; in fact, each Spanish-heritage country has its own variety of salsa (Mexico has dozens, a different specialty in each state).

Chimichurri, a spicy vinegar-parsley sauce, is the leading condiment in Argentina and Uruguay.

Mojo, in the Caribbean, typically consists of olive oil, garlic and citrus juice, and is used both to marinate meats and as a dipping sauce.

Peri peri or piri piri sauce is considered the national condiment of Peru: a base of vinegar and oil, garlic and lemon juice with hot birds eye chiles. As with mojo, it is also used as a cooking sauce.

The list goes on. Check out our Salsa Glossary for different types of salsa.

Today, we’re yet another variety of salsa. This one is a salsa verde* (green sauce) featuring green olives. It can be used over fish, chicken, rice, eggs, and in the recipe below, vegetables.

RECIPE: SALSA VERDE WITH OLIVES ON FISH & VEGETABLES

Not your typical salsa verde, this recipe is chunky with olives and almonds. Any leftovers are equally good at room temperature for lunch the next day.

Ingredients For 2-3 Servings

¼ cup kosher salt

1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

A handful arugula roughly chopped

A handful parsley, roughly chopped

1/2 cup pitted green olives

A handful toasted almonds, roughly chopped

Optional: 1 tablespoon capers

Olive oil

1 pound fish: char, salmon, trout or anything that looks good

4 lemon or lime wedges

Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375°F. Spread the florets in a single layer on one half of a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. PLACE the fish, skin-side down on the other half of the sheet. Run your fingers over the flesh to check for pin bones and remove them with kitchen tweezers. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

3. BAKE until the florets just start to brown, about 20 to 25 minutes (longer if you prefer a softer texture or more well-done fish). While the food is baking…

4. MAKE the salsa verde. In a small mixing bowl, combine the chopped greens, olives, almonds, vinegar and enough olive oil to bind without. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

5. REMOVE the baking sheet from the oven. Plate and spoon the salsa over the cauliflower and the fish and. Serve with a lemon or lime wedge.

OLIVE TIPS

Use good olives: the type you would be happy to nibble on from the bowl. Pitted olives are preferred, unless you don’t mind removing the pits from your mouth at the table.

Type of olive: You only need one variety of olive, but found a pitted green olive mix from an olive bar, which included castelvetrano, cerignola, gordal, manzanilla and picholine. Since we left the olives whole, we could taste the different flavors.

Chopped versus whole: We like olives so much that we left them whole (or were we too lazy to chop them?).

Substitute: You can substitute black olives if you don’t like green.

Olive Glossary: Check out the different types of olives.

> 15 MORE USES FOR SALSA

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*Salsa verde is typically made with green chiles, tomatillos and cilantro. Used primarily as a garnish rather than a dip, it is much thinner than a tomato-based salsa roja/red sauce (this recipe, laden with olives and almonds, is an exception). A salsa verde can be fresh or cooked.

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