Winter Citrus Salsa Verde
A winter salsa with a summer spirit. Also, join me as I ponder the broader implications of my culinary choices.
In Spain, it's common to order the 'menu del dia' for lunch, typically featuring three courses for 15-20 euros, with the entree often showcasing simply prepared seafood, with heaps of sliced garlic and an abundance of fruity, slightly peppery, Spanish extra virgin olive oil.
In California, crafting salsas verde to serve with fish and tacos is a widespread culinary tradition with deep roots in the state's Mexican cuisine. Personally, my foray into food media began with an exploration of a salsa verde from the Canary Islands for The Kitchn, earning me the (self-appointed) title of salsa verde connoisseur.
I sought a way to recreate a Spanish-Californian-inspired 'menu del dia' at home during the depths of winter, leading me to a simple garlic-roasted white fish paired with this green salsa. Winter citrus salsa verde is so bright and sparkly that it almost makes you forget that you’re seasonally depressed.
Herbs, juicy seasonal citrus, honey, and Spanish EVOO come together in under five minutes, offering an acidic and slightly sweet topping for savory dishes such as tacos, grilled mushrooms, spicy roast chicken, crispy baked tofu, or beans.
It’s a winter salsa with a summer spirit.
What makes it extra fun is the addition of Meyer lemon flesh and peel (yes, the peel of Meyer lemons are edible!) to crank up the winter citrus vibes even more. Meyer lemons are a citron/mandarin hybrid, making them much sweeter than regular lemons, with a thin, smooth skin that’s perfectly edible.
For those fortunate enough to find fresh tarragon, its lovely anise quality complements the oranges well. However, it's advised, as our Lord and Savior Nigella suggests, to exercise caution, as an excess can introduce an undesirable "manure underfoot" note.
Initially, I paired this citrus salsa verde with wild Chilean sea bass, also known as Patagonian toothfish, renowned for its buttery and mild flavor. The Chilean sea bass pictured below was sourced from Costco's fresh (a.k.a. previously frozen) section.
I roasted it with loads of garlic and olive oil, as they do in Spain, and gave it a California spin by serving it alongside winter citrus salsa verde for Christmas dinner. Everyone loved it.
However, as much as I hate (love?) being a Debbie Downer, it feels slightly irresponsible not to address the sustainability of Chilean sea bass, a slow-maturation species facing overfishing.
While conflicting reports circulate about its sustainability in 2024, the product's availability at Costco raises ethical sourcing concerns for me. The fact that it’s sold at Costco, of all places, makes me think it’s not actually ethically sourced because Costco = mass-produced, right? I can’t trust U.S. corporations like Costco to do much of anything right (which is an essay idea in and of itself).
Despite Costco’s sea bass having a 2015 Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, the source of which is this weird scanned pdf from the internet, the information is outdated, making the reliability questionable. However, MSC certification was directly mentioned as a seemingly positive thing in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, an organization I trust.
So, who knows? The mental gymnastics a consumer must do to figure this out is as annoying as it is unsurprising. I have a local fishmonger (Saratoga Meat & Fish for those in the South SF Bay Area) who is wonderfully transparent, so I’ll try to shop there more. Although he does tend to be 30-40% more expensive than Costco, but maybe that’s a good thing.
For those serving this winter citrus salsa verde with wild fish, savor each gorgeous bite with the awareness that it likely embarked on a lengthy and expensive journey to reach your plate.
Winter Citrus Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
2 cups parsley, woody stems removed, leaves very finely chopped
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 high quality anchovy, finely chopped
Ortiz is my favorite brand but any fat, happy, pink anchovy will do.
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 Meyer lemon — zest, juice, flesh, and peel
If you don’t specifically have Meyer lemons, omit the peel, as regular schmegular lemon peels are too bitter for this recipe.
Zest and juice the entire lemon. Set aside zest and juice in a small bowl.
If using Meyer lemon, finely dice the lemon itself, flesh and peel, until you have 2 tablespoons of finely diced Meyer lemon chunks.
1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil
Spanish EVOO brand I love and was recommended by my Barcelona chef friend, Castillo Canena. It’s readily available on Amazon.
1 ripe, in-season orange (I used cara cara), segmented and roughly chopped into marble-sized chunks.
Kosher salt
Instructions:
Toss the finely chopped herbs, roughly chopped anchovy, grated garlic, honey, and Meyer lemon zest, juice, and chunks into a small bowl.
Dump in the extra virgin olive oil and mix well.
I usually start with 1/3 cup of evoo and slowly increase depending on how saucy I want the texture to be.
Gently fold the orange chunks into the salsa.
Season with salt. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, taste, and add more if you want.
Mix well and taste. Does it need more acid? Add more lemon juice or distilled white vin. More fat? More evoo. More sweetness? More honey. You get the idea.
Keeps well in the fridge, covered tightly, for 3-4 days.
Serving Suggestions
Swirl through hummus or baba ghanoush, and use this fucking foolproof focaccia by
to dip. Then feel happy.Spoon over roasted chicken.
With garlicky roasted fish.
On grilled shrimp or mushroom tacos.
Ladle over Bean Story white runner beans, “happy fat boy” beans straight out of the pot (Tamar Adler reference).
As a dressing for a simple roasted beet, feta, and carrot salad.
Paired with beet anything (beets and citrus, the king and queen of winter).
As a topping for crispy tofu grain bowls.