Cauliflower Bites with Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde
I love roasting colorful cauliflower florets until crispy and caramelized to eat as a snack or appetizer. These crunchy-on-the-outside and creamy-on-the-inside veggies are even better when dipped in an herbaceous sauce spiked with roasted lemons and anchovies. Roasting lemons both intensifies and mellows their flavor, allowing you to add them, peel and all, to the salsa verde. If blood oranges are in season, using a combo of lemon and blood orange boosts the brain health power. Blood oranges contain anthocyanins, the same phytonutrient in blueberries!
Anchovies: potent brain food
Maybe the thought of adding anchovies does not make your mouth water? Please give this Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde a try. It has converted every anchovy-hater I know into an anchovy-lover.
Why do I want you to eat more anchovies? Because these tiny fatty fish are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, a crucial component of a brain healthy diet. And, unlike wild salmon, which I adore for its flavor and health profile, anchovies are inexpensive.
I often serve these Cauliflower Bites with Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde at when I speak about brain health and Alzheimer’s prevention. No one ever suspects the secret ingredient is anchovies. These potent little fishes add flavor without fishiness. And, anchovies add umami — that fifth taste (besides sweet, sour, salty, bitter) that gives food a deeply satisfying earthiness. The word umami comes from the Japanese word for delicious, umai; loosely translated, umami means deliciousness.
Colorful cauliflower = more phytonutrients
If you can find colorful varieties of cauliflower — purple, orange and green — choose some of each. The color will fade slightly after roasting but all those phytonutrients from the pigments will still be there. You could also roast a whole head of cauliflower until it’s crispy on the outside and done all the way through, and serve on a bed of the Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde. Sliced up like a standing rib roast, it makes a perfect vegetarian entree. Or, serve with a crudité platter of fresh veggies — sugar snap peas, carrots, red peppers, radishes — in season.
Blood orange salsa verde?
Make a roasted blood orange salsa verde by substituting one or both lemons with sliced blood orange. Blood oranges contain anthocyanin, the same phytonutrient in blueberries. Anthocyanins help mop up the amyloid plaque that accumulates over time in the brain, a key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s. Blood oranges are also incredibly delicious; their slightly bitter yet sweet flavor goes perfectly with fish.
Prep Time | 20 minutes |
Cook Time | 30 - 40 minutes |
Servings |
people as an appetizer
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- 2 heads cauliflower choose purple, orange and green romesco varieties if available
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 lemons or substitute one blood orange for one of the lemons
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil more as needed
- 1 cup packed fresh oregano leaves or substitute Italian parsley
- 1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 anchovy fillets (preferably salt-packed, rinsed, backbones removed if salt-packed) finely chopped and smashed to a paste with the flat side of a knife
- 3-4 medium or large garlic cloves peeled
- 2 teaspoons capers (preferably salt-packed; soaked for 15 minutes if salt-packed) rinsed, drained, and finely chopped
Ingredients
Cauliflower Bites
Roasted Lemon Salsa Verde
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- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Cut cauliflower into florets that are all about the same size. Pat dry with a clean towel. Place in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss well. Arrange the florets in a single layer on rimmed baking sheet, making sure the florets are not touching. (If the pan is crowded, the cauliflower will steam instead of roasting up brown and crispy.) Bake until starting to brown and tender all the way through. (Test by passing a knife through one of them.) This will take between 20 and 40 minutes, depending on the size of the florets and your oven.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the oven rack on its lowest level.
- Using a sharp knife, slice the lemons into 1/4-inch rounds. Remove and discard the seeds from each slice and discard the two end pieces from each lemon (or save them to make lemon-infused water.)
- Put the lemon slices in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the lemons are browned in some places but still soft. Be careful not to let them burn. (If you don't have parchment or a silicon mat, just be sure to flip the lemon slices over as soon as they come out of the oven; otherwise they will stick to the baking sheet.)
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Set the lemons aside until they are cool enough to touch.
- Place the lemon slices on a cutting board and roughly chop. Transfer the lemons and their juice to a small bowl.
- Place the herbs in the bowl a food processor fitted with a metal blade or the jar of a blender. Add the salt and anchovies. Mash the garlic cloves against a cutting board using the side of a large knife and add to the herbs. (If salt sensitive, use half of the salt called for and add more if needed.)
- Scrape down the sides of the food processor or blender. With the motor running, gradually add the remaining olive oil through the feed tube.
- Transfer the salsa to a medium bowl. Stir in more oil if necessary to achieve a loose, spoonable salsa. Stir in the chopped lemons and capers.
Instead of roasting in the oven, you can grill the lemon slices over medium heat. Makes about 2 cups of roasted lemon salsa verde and can be made up to one day in advance. Refrigerate the salsa in a covered container until you are ready to use it. Bring it to room temperature and stir to recombine ingredients before using. Leftover roasted lemon salsa verde can be used as a condiment for grilled meat and fish, roasted vegetables, or dolloped on soups and stews. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days; it may lose its vibrant color but will still be delicious.
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