If you only make one type of sauce on the regular, it should be salsa verde. The biggest misconception about salsa verde is that it's literally salsa—as in, to dip tortilla chips in. But it's so much more than that. It's a category of green sauces that are served cold or room temperature and uncooked. Almost every country has its own favorite green sauce, and it can be vinegar-forward, oil-forward, or made of mostly vegetables. Popular salsa verdes include Argentinian chimichurri, Italian pesto, Mexican tomatillo and/or avocado salsa, and French sauce verte.
Most all salsa verdes are five ingredients or less—garlic, herbs, oil, vinegar, and sometimes some form of heat like chiles or chile flakes—and work well as a marinade or finishing sauce for virtually any meat or vegetable. These green sauces are also as versatile and multi-purpose as mayonnaise: they can be a dip, spread, sauce, or condiment. Try it with anything from grilled chicken to eggs to dip for vegetables.
Not sure of what green sauce to use? Here's a quick guide.
Chimichurri and tri-tip steak are a wonderful match.
Chimichurri
If your main ingredient is a little more hearty and robust like steak, top with a vinegar-based salsa verde to cut through the heaviness, like chimichurri. The quick sauce—garlic, parsley, cilantro, red wine vinegar, and olive oil—is particularly great on quick-cooking skirt, hanger, and tri-tip steak, but it would taste good with any meat, TBH.
