Grilled artichokes are deliciously tender and smoky. Skip the butter and aioli and serve them up with our punchy Italian Salsa Verde. A tasty vegan appetizer or side dish that presents beautifully!
One of our favorite ways to prepare artichokes is to grill them! Grilled artichokes are incredibly delicious, especially when they are fresh, plump, and in season. Grilling the artichokes gives them such a beautiful, smoky, earthy flavor—truly elevating them! Here, we are serving them up with a herby Italian sauce called Salsa Verde. Briny, lemony, and vibrant, the combination is completely delicious!
Why You’ll Love This
- Bursting with flavor! Smoky, earthy flavor—especially delicious with the briny, lemony salsa!
- Nutritious! Artichokes are rich in fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and other nutrients like potassium.
- An impressive side dish! Beautiful grilled artichokes are perfect for warm weather parties, especially with the vibrant salsa verde drizzled over top.
Grilled Artichokes Ingredients
- Artichokes: You’ll need two large, fresh artichokes—don’t worry, we’ll show you how to cut and prep them!
- Italian parsley: This gives the Italian salsa verde a nice peppery flavor that pairs beautifully with the artichokes.
- Fresh garlic: Raw, grated garlic adds pungent flavor to the salsa, but you can also add garlic while cooking the artichokes if desired.
- Capers: Adds a briny, tangy taste that really pops in the salsa verde!
- Olive oil: Use Italian, high-quality olive oil as the flavor will enrich the Italian salsa.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice brightens up the salsa verde, while lemon slices can be used for the grilled artichokes.
- Optional: If desired, add bay leaves, sage, or thyme to the steamer basket for the artichokes. Feel free to add chili flakes or finely minced anchovies to the Italian salsa verde too!
How to Make Grilled Artichokes
Step 1: Prep the steamer basket. Fill a large pot with enough water to come up to a steamer basket placed inside. To the water add optional lemon slices, garlic cloves, and bay leaves. Bring to simmer.
Step 2: Prep artichokes. Use a sharp knife to trim off tips and remove small, tough outer leaves. Trim the stems. With a spoon, scoop out thin hairs nearest the heart.
Step 3: Simmer artichokes. Add artichokes to steamer basket, cut side down, layering if necessary. Steam by boiling water at medium-high heat, then cover and simmer on low for an estimate 25-45 minutes (depending on size), until just tender. Test by pulling off a leaf—it should pull off with a gentle tug. Cool.
Tip: After steaming the artichokes you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days before grilling.
Step 4: Make the Italian salsa verde. Mix all salsa ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 5: Preheat and grease grill. Bring the grill to medium and grease the grates well.
Step 6: Grill the artichokes. Brush artichokes lightly with oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Place open-side down on grates, cover, and grill until grill marks appear and heated through. Flip and grill 2 minutes before transferring to platter, open-side up.
Step 7: Serve. Spoon salsa verde over top and nestle some into the heart. Serve with remaining salsa verde on the side and lemon wedges.
Chef’s Tips
- Maintain beautiful color: Artichokes will begin to discolor once you cut into them. To prevent this, steam them right away, or place them in a bowl of lemon water.
- Buying artichokes: When choosing artichokes, select ones that feel heavy in weight (they contain more water and moisture) with tight leaves—these are the freshest. If they feel light, they are likely dried out and older.
- Use any size: Any size chokes will work for grilling- the secret is in the steaming. Steam until al dente- smaller varieties will cook much faster.
- Eat the stems: With really fresh artichokes, the stems are edible too- peel them if you like using a vegetable peeler.
- If you crave “creaminess”- mix some of the leftover Italian salsa verde with mayonnaise to create a flavorful herby dipping sauce or aioli! Use vegan mayo if you like!