Spicy Parsley Mint Sauce
September 19, 2020 by Nicole Collins
Mint.
What the heck do you do with it?
That’s the question I’ve been asking all summer long.
It grows like wildfire. It’s taken over my herb garden. And, I’ve been casually avoiding it most of the summer.
When summer herb season started this year, I wasn’t planning on replanting mint. This is because I never really did anything with it last year. I had last year’s mint pot tucked away in the corner, and I was planning on tossing the dirt and using the pot for something else. But to my surprise, when I finally decided to pay attention to that particular pot; I saw that the mint had started regrowing all on its own. It was happy and healthy and ready to take on another season.
So, again I had to ask myself “what the heck do I do with all this mint?”
I tried to make a much better effort of at least thinking about how to use the mint this year, but it still managed to grow out of control. So, since I’ve been making my basil chive vinaigrette on repeat all summer, I thought some kind of savory, herby sauce could be the way to go. And, that brings us to today’s recipe.
Today, we’re making Spicy Parley Mint Sauce!
This is a throw it all in a blender and push the button kind of recipe today. It’s easy to put together, and easy to eat!
Let’s start with the herbs: parsley and mint. We need a big ol’ cup full of both, and they go straight into our blender. We’re going to go double allium on this one, and we’re using shallots and garlic to add that zingy zangy flavor to our sauce. Then to spice things up a little, we’re going to chop up a jalapeno and throw that into the blender too. Now, I can take a little bit of heat, but my tongue definitely starts sweating a lot sooner than most people’s. So, I opted to ditch the seeds in our pepper. But, if you’d prefer to set your mouth on fire, go ahead and leave them in.
Once we have the main players in our sauce, we’re going to add in the supporting stars: a little vinegar, a little olive oil, and a little honey. All three components serve a purpose, and they all help to bring the ultimate balance to this sauce. Once everyone is in the blender, all we have to do is hit that button. And, done!
I like fresh mint, but I wouldn’t say that I love it. So, I have a little bit of a hard time making it work in savory recipes for that exact reason. But today’s sauce isn’t overly sweet from the mint. The mint balances out the grassy parsley and the spicy pepper just perfectly. It’s just so fresh and so clean! And because it’s a savory sauce, it’s super versatile!
I tried this sauce on many things, and it was good on all of them. It’s good on seafood. It’s good on beef. It’s good on chicken. It’s good as a dip for some nice crusty bread. And, it’s even good as a drizzle over some morning eggs. So the moral of the story is that it’s just plain good!
And bonus, this sauce is totally freezable. Pour some into a large silicone ice cube tray, and pop it straight in the freezer. When you’re ready to have some sauce, take out a sauce cube, put it in a bowl, and let it sit in the fridge to thaw. You may need to add a little olive oil to loosen the sauce back up, but other than that, it’s as good as new!
I have one more idea for how to use up some of this mint, and it takes on more a sweet route. But, if you guys have any other ideas for me, please send them my way.
But for now, enjoy! And, let’s eat!
Spicy Parsley Mint Sauce
Serves: 1 cup Print
Ingredients:
1 cup mint, packed
1 cup parsley
½ of a shallot, rough chopped
2 small cloves garlic, smashed
1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, rough chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tbsp honey
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp salt
Directions:
Add all ingredients to a small food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Serve!
Recipe notes:
*This sauce is so versatile. It's a great dip for bread. It's delicious as a drizzle for seafood, chicken, or steak. It's even great on top of some scrambled eggs.
*This sauce freezes well. You can freeze some of it in large silicone ice cube trays. When you're ready to have some, pop out the herb cube, and thaw it in a bowl in the fridge. You may need to add a little olive oil to loosen it back up. Then, you can have a fresh, herbaceous sauce at all times.
*This sauce has a nice kick to it. But if you love things extra spicy, feel free to leave some of the seeds in.
*I use the mini food processor that comes with this Ninja prep set for ALLLL of my sauces and dressings.
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