19 Types Of Green Sauce You Should Try At Least Once

What do Venezuelan tostones, Afghan bolani, Mexican enchiladas, Spanish cod, Italian pasta, and Thai curries have in common? They are all made or served with a special green sauce from their country. Green sauces are fresh, herby, tangy, and spicy condiments made from fresh herbs, and they exist all over the world as staple parts of many cuisines. Each region has its own traditions, recipes, and variations, but you may be surprised to find many more similarities between the green sauces of the world than differences. Every green sauce featured here contains a generous quantity of fresh herbs, but other kinds of intriguing local ingredients can be responsible for the green color too.

Whether you'd like to add a mild herby freshness or some serious flavor or spice to your meals, green sauces are the answer. Some, but not all, can be found in the supermarket, but the good news is that they are all easy to make at home. Make a traditional recipe or get creative with your own version. The beauty is they go with almost everything. These green sauces are definitely worth trying at least once.

Chimichurri is a spicy and aromatic green sauce from Argentina and Uruguay made from parsley, garlic, vinegar, chili peppers, and salt. It's very liquidy and is an excellent way to dress salads or grilled, roasted, and baked meats. It's also used as a marinade for fish and chicken. It's well known around the world and can often be found in supermarkets. Making it at home, however, is pretty straightforward. Finely chopped parsley and a few minced garlic cloves are mixed with ground chili pepper, sweet paprika, oregano, and ground black pepper. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil are then added, and everything is stirred until well mixed. For the best flavor, leave it in the fridge overnight before enjoying it.

It wasn't the green color but a play called "The Green Goddess" that was responsible for the name of this dressing. Actor George Arliss was staying in San Francisco's Palace Hotel when starring in the play during its run in the city in the mid-1920s. Hotel chef Philip Roemer invented a creamy dressing made with mayonnaise, fresh herbs, and anchovies and named it after the play. This green goddess dressing recipe uses an aromatic mayonnaise base made from scratch for the freshest flavor. First, fresh parsley, cilantro, and basil are processed with oil to make the base. Before the oil is added to whisked egg yolks to make the mayonnaise, a mixture of shallot, vinegar, garlic, and lemon is added for even more flavor. In the end, mashed avocado provides extra luxuriant creaminess, and fresh tarragon and chervil round out the herby taste.

Zhug, or Schug, is a hot sauce originally from Yemen but is now commonly found in other parts of the Middle East, including Israel. It's very spicy from chilies (this schug recipe contains 20 whole serrano peppers), aromatic from spices like cumin, cardamon, and coriander, and bright from a large amount of fresh cilantro. It's used in the same way as a Latin American salsa verde — made by hand in a mortar and pestle and used to dress a variety of dishes, including traditional dishes such as roast chicken and vegetables, lentils, or raw cucumber and tomato salads. Chef Michael Solomonov uses cardamom and coriander, but he points out that you can play around with other spices like fenugreek as well. He does advise not making the mixture too smooth through overprocessing; some texture is ideal.

Aioli is a sauce made from emulsified olive oil and garlic that originates from France and other Mediterranean countries. Many versions exist, and some include egg yolks in the emulsion to make a mayonnaise base. To make green herb aioli, just include fresh herbs. First, blend a mixture of herbs (like basil, tarragon, and mint), egg yolks, garlic, lemon juice, and water in a blender. Then slowly add a cup of oil with the blender running until it reaches a thick mayonnaise consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The fun with this sauce is you can create so many variations. If you love the flavor of cilantro, make a version with a generous amount of cilantro instead. Not a fan of mayo? Sub sour cream or Greek yogurt, or just leave the mayo out for a keto version. For a creamy, oil-free, vegan version, replace the egg yolks, mayo, and oil with rich and creamy avocado.

Moroccan cuisine is famous for its use of brightly colored spices with captivating aromas, and chermoula is one of the recipes that combine these spices. This aromatic mixture is a marinade used to prepare fish, poultry, and vegetables; you will get the best results by using fresh garlic and herbs. Besides its use as a marinade, it's used for basting, added to simmering stews, and served as an accompanying sauce to grilled vegetables, fish, or meat. Chermoula can be made in several ways, including a red version featuring paprika or spicy harissa and a yellow one made with turmeric. Green chermoula leaves the red ingredients out. It's made by grinding cilantro, parsley, garlic, salt, cumin, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle.

A classic from the region of Liguria in Italy, the name of this sauce means fava bean pesto, and it's a minty, flavorful mixture made from fresh fava beans, also known as broad beans, and mint. This traditional springtime dish is rooted in peasant culture; fava beans and mint were some of the only fresh plants available in early spring in the area, so the people used them to enliven their bread, which had dried out over the winter. This pesto is eaten on bread, served with roast lamb, or used as a pasta sauce. Like regular pesto, it's easy to prepare, and the best results will be achieved using a mortar and pestle (but a food processor can be used if necessary). Fresh, peeled fava beans, mint, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper make up the basic version. Many recipes call for grated pecorino cheese or nuts like pine nuts or almonds too.

The name of this sauce means Peruvian green noodles, and it's a version of pesto that has become a classic recipe in Peru. In fact, it originated from the pesto brought to the country by Italian immigrants in the 1800s. The Peruvians changed the original recipe to include local ingredients like cheese, milk, and fresh spinach in equal parts to the original basil. The other difference is that the Peruvian version is cooked. This sauce is used to coat spaghetti, and in local style, the final dish often features a steak or other meat like fried chicken or liver. To make it, sautée chopped onion in oil for a couple of minutes along with fresh basil and spinach, and then blend that mixture in a blender with fresh cheese, water, and evaporated milk. More onion is then caramelized and cooked with garlic before the blended mixture, salt, and pepper are added to the pan and mixed well.

Most meals served in the Canary Islands include mojo, a word that refers to different local sauces that are garlicky, herby, hot, and spicy. It's used as a flavorful marinade or drizzled on roast potatoes, eggs, and grilled meat, fish, and vegetables. Less traditional but equally delicious, mojo can be enjoyed as a sandwich spread, dip, or salad dressing. Mojo originates from the Canary Islands, and some people may be familiar with other versions of mojo, with colors such as red and orange, brought to countries like Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Caribbean countries by Canarian immigrants. Mojo verde, the green version, is easy to prepare and comes together in about ten minutes using a mortar and pestle or a food processor. Mix together cilantro, garlic, olive oil, cumin, lime juice, and white wine vinegar. It also calls for Canarian hot green peppers, but if you can't get those, sub jalapeños instead.

Curry paste is the basis for Thai curries, delicious dishes loaded with spice and flavor. It's easily found in supermarkets, but nothing beats the flavor of the homemade version, not to mention the aromas that will fill your kitchen. And if you make it ahead, you can store the extra in the freezer for up to a year, making it much easier to whip up delicious curries when you want them. The recipe for green and red curry paste is actually the same because the color comes from the kind of peppers used. Dried red chilies are used for the red version, and fresh green chilies are used to make green curry paste. The recipe includes ingredients like Kaffir lime, cilantro, Thai chili peppers, galangal, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, and coriander. For a quicker version, blend everything in a food processor. For a more traditional route, first, toast the spices in a pan and grind everything by hand in a mortar and pestle.