Sometimes you come across something that you know you are going to need for the rest of your life.  Happened when I met my husband and it happened again when I made this parsley sauce.  In French, better known as Champ Verd, or Green Field.  It is a class A, number one winner for any summer seafood you may want to serve, and by nature it encourages you to do as little with that seafood as possible, aside from making sure it is ridiculously fresh.  Start with 2 big bunches of flat leaf, good looking parsley.  Pull the leaves off, leaving as little stem as possible.  This is the perfect job for party guests or girls who are under the age of 10 and are perfectionists.  Get a pot of boiling water going with a splash of olive oil, a half a garlic clove, and a little salt.  On the side, have a bowl of ice water at the ready.  Plunge the parsley leaves into the boiling water for about 2 minutes, then lift them up with a sieve and drop them into the ice water. Remove the garlic cloves.  Leave the leaves in the ice bath for about 30 seconds. Drain really well, squeezing them in a clean tea towel.  Chop them up for a few minutes with your knife.  Once they are roughly chopped throw them in the blender, and with the blender going, gradually add about 2 tablespoons of the best olive oil you can get your hands on.  Give it a pinch of salt, a tiny grind of pepper, and now add up to, but maybe not as much as 1/4 cup of organic cream (trust me–the organic cream is worth it.)  You are looking for a bright green color, and a smooth puree, very much like the consistency of basil.  As a matter of fact, the second time you make it, if you felt like it, you could throw in a single basil leaf if you felt like it.  Start with the pure parsley just to see what it’s like in its pure form.

Now, taste for salt, pepper and lemon zest.  You don’t want to end up actually tasting any of these, or noticing them–you are using all them as a boost for the parsley.  It should knock your socks off it’s so simple and good.  Put a tiny puddle of it on a plate with a scallop, a shrimp and bit of fish, or serve alongside your melted butter for lobster, or forget the fish all together, and toss it with pasta.