Salmon with Olive Salsa Verde Recipe

Italian salsa verde, that mega-flavor mix of garlic, herbs, capers, and anchovies of which everyone has their own version, has become something of a "mother sauce" in this house. My salsa verde is always heavy on the parsley, sometimes with baby spinach to add subtle volume, sometimes with arugula for a bitter bite, sometimes with basil for the faint familiarity of pesto.

And now that I've tried salsa verde with the buttery, textural addition of California olives to accompany roasted salmon as inspired by the Wine Country Table cookbook and California Wines, I may never go back to that all-leafy green basic version.

What Wine Pairs with Salmon with Olive Salsa Verde?

California Wines sent me two wines to pair with the Salmon with Green Olive Salsa Verde, both of which are CSWA-certified. That certification means the wine is made in a Certified Sustainable California winery, uses at least 85% grapes from certified vineyards, and is made from 100% California fruit.

Why two wines that are sustainable? April is Earth Month, and for California Wines specifically, it is "Down to Earth Month," celebrating California's commitment to sustainability in winemaking, which means caring for the land, the environment, the people that work in the vineyard and winery, and the community as a whole. California has more acres of Certified Sustainable vineyards than any other region in the world, and 80% of the wines it produces are Certified Sustainable, making the state not only a leading producer overall, but a leader worldwide in sustainability.

Sunny with a Chance of Flowers' Sauvignon Blanc is a zero sugar, low alcohol white wine from the Central Coast of California. Like the bright herbaceous green and briny salsa verde, the wine feels like seaside in the spring sunshine. But sticking only to white wine with fish is sooo 1985. A light-bodied red like the Riva Ranch Pinot Noir from Wente Vineyards brings out the richness of wild salmon, especially served with baby potatoes and peas.

Of course, pinot noir also pairs perfectly with prep and cooking, which is what I did.

What You Need for Salmon with Olive Salsa Verde

You will need:

• California olives, obviously
• flat-leaf parsley
• anchovies
• wild King salmon
• you probably already have in your pantry: garlic, capers, lemons, olive oil, and salt

This recipe as presented makes a little more salsa verde than you might need for the salmon. It is a perfect accompaniment to any and all other seared or grilled fish, roast chicken, or basically anything, so it's be worth it to make more to begin with.

Ingredients Resources and Substitutions for Olive Salsa Verde

 

1. Olives: Because I am all about California-grown produce, which is local for me, I use California green olives that are already pitted. You can use green or black olives because the truth about green and black olives is that they are the same olives! For the purpose of matching green aesthetics, I like green olives in this recipe. One cup of whole olives renders about ¾ cup of chopped olives. This brand is officially California grown!
2. Anchovies: If anchovies were found off the coast of California, you know I'd be on them, heck I'd probably be fishing them myself. But since I have yet to find California anchovies, I use this jar of anchovies for everything. If you are sensitive to anchovies, you can leave the anchovies out of the recipe, and substitute an additional tablespoon of capers. However, you will miss out on a lot of umami in the final result, and how sensitive can you really be when the main part of the recipe is salmon?
3. Capers: Use the small, non-pareil capers in liquid brine. If you use capers in dry salt, soak the capers in plain water for about 15 minutes. This store brand is organic.
4. Olive Oil. I used California-based Rosenthal Ranch organic extra virgin olive oil for all of the components of this recipe. This brand is an olive oil that's more widely available, though it is not organic.
5. Kosher Salt. I use this brand Kosher salt in the dark red box. If you only have regular table salt, use half the amount stated in the recipe.
6. All other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market when I can't find what I need at the farmers' market.

Ingredients Notes for Salmon

1. Salmon: Wild king salmon is my favorite fish for its nutrient density, specifically omega-3s. It is generally in season May-September. In Los Angeles, I get my seafood from Santa Monica Seafood.
2. Salmon Substitute. If wild king salmon is not available, substitute almost any other firm fish. The Wine Country Table cookbook calls for lingcod, which is a medium-firm white flesh fish in the same family as rockfish and black cod, aka sablefish or butterfish. Lingcod is found off the coast of California. As a side note, black cod has the highest omega-3 content of all white fish, and the same omega-3 as some types of salmon! Salmon just has better PR.
3. On salmon serving sizes: Allot 6-8 oz (half a pound) of salmon for each serving, which amounts to 1½ - two pounds total for this recipe. Eight ounces is a pretty large serving, and most people will not eat that much because of all the other delicious little things on the table. However, leftover cooked salmon will keep for about three days in the refrigerator, or frozen for a few weeks, and is great for adding to your lunch and dinner grain bowls.

Tools and Equipment

 

• every day wine glasses for light white wines
• I have some version of this double-hinge wine key in every room of the house except the bathrooms, but don't underestimate me; I will put a wine key in the bathrooms if I have to
• rectangular platter with sloped sides for serving whole roasted salmon
• oval platter with high sides
• brass servers
• champagne-colored flatware
• simple white dinner plates
• stable and sturdy large size cutting board to prep ingredients for Salsa Verde
• all-purpose 7-inch chef's knife (expensive but worth it!)
• favorite sturdy glass mixing bowls
• multi-purpose small condiment bowls
• my friend teri's handmade mini "crum-bowls" for condiments and sauces
• this produce/vege wash to clean produce

Cooking and Recipe Notes for Olive Salsa Verde

Advance Cooking. You can make the Green Olive Salsa Verde a day in advance, which might be better because the garlic will mellow out a little. However, the recipe comes together so quickly, there's no need to do anything too far in advance (except maybe wash and de-stem the parsley)

What to Serve with Salmon with Olive Salsa Verde

With the olives and anchovies in the Salsa Verde, the dish was already leaning a little "Niçoise" to me. I served it here with other vegetables you typically see on the Niçoise salad: little potatoes and haricot verts, which I subbed out with fresh, crisp snap peas. Also great to serve alongside:

• crispy smashed potatoes
• quinoa tossed with some of the Salsa Verde
• simple mixed green salad with a light lemon vinaigrette
• garlic sauteed spinach or kale
• fresh baby spinach, like I did here, letting the spinach leaves pick up the olive oil and flavor of the Salsa Verde from the plate

Eat Well with More Salmon Recipes

Salmon has so many good health benefits, and it tastes great too, so make these recipes and eat more:

• Citrus Roasted Salmon recipe
• Salmon Puttanesca recipe
• Salmon Niçoise Salad recipe
• Salmon Cobb Salad recipe

This recipe and post are produced in partnership with California Wines to celebrate California's commitment to sustainable winemaking during Down to Earth Month (#D2EMonth) in April.