📍 Where this dish comes from: Paris · The Seine
Discover the history of this region →
Discover the history of this region →
A vivid green herb sauce — a French interpretation of sauce verte that blends fresh spinach, chives, tarragon, chervil, parsley, and capers into mayonnaise for a bright, herbaceous sauce that is extraordinary with cold poached salmon, grilled chicken, and as a salad dressing.
What You’ll Need
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
- 200 g good mayonnaise
- 50 g fresh spinach leaves
- Large bunch flat-leaf parsley (leaves only)
- Large bunch fresh chives
- 2 tbsp fresh tarragon
- 2 tbsp fresh chervil
- 2 tbsp capers
- 1 anchovy fillet (optional, for depth)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Salt, white pepper
Instructions
- Blanch spinach in boiling water 30 seconds. Drain immediately and refresh in ice water. Squeeze very dry.
- Blanch herbs (parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil) in same water 15 seconds. Drain and refresh. Squeeze dry.
- Combine all blanched greens with capers, anchovy, lemon juice, and Dijon in a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add mayonnaise and blend briefly.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Pass through a fine sieve for a very smooth sauce.
- Serve chilled. Keeps 3 days refrigerated.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 220kcal | Protein: 2g | Fat: 22g | Fiber: 1g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Health Benefits
- The diverse fresh herbs provide chlorophyll, iron, folate, and vitamin K.
- Blanching helps fix the bright green color by deactivating the enzymes that cause oxidation and browning.
- Capers in the sauce provide rutin, a bioflavonoid studied for its potential role in capillary health.