Last week I posted my recipe for Peruvian Lomo Saltado and I was surprised at all the messages I got about the Green Sauce that was on the side of the dish. So here it is my friends, my version of Peruvian Salsa Verde. One of the questions I got the most was if my aji verde contained huacatay? And yes, yes it does!! When I first found huacatay paste at my local grocery store, it was like finding gold. Now, if you are lost on what I’m talking about please don’t skip over to recipe, I’ll walk you over all this terminology and what this amazing Spicy Green Sauce is and where it comes from.
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What is Salsa Verde (Aji Verde)?
Salsa Verde or Aji Verde is a spicy green sauce, mostly used in Peru as a side salsa to spice up meats, grilled food and many other dishes. The salsa has so many versions in Peru as well as in United States where Peruvian cuisine is becoming more popular lately. My recipe below is as close to authentic as I can get in Miami because of the ingredients needed for this sauce.
Peruvian Salsa Verde usually has aji amarillo (spicy yellow chile), huacatay (black mint), cilantro, jalapeno and mayonnaise. The other ingredients seem to vary from recipe to recipe or from chef to chef according to their preference.
What is Huacatay?
Huacatay or Black Mint is a plant used as a condiment in the Andean countries of South America, mainly Peru and Bolivia. The plant is used fresh, dried or in paste form. My mother in law tells me that in Bolivia you can find bunches of fresh huacatay in almost every farmer’s market. People usually buy it fresh and hang the bunches of this plant at home to let it dry a bit, then use in their cuisines. My mother in law makes a delicious huacatay chicken that I hope I can learn how to make soon and share with you all:). I found several brands online that sell Huacatay paste in United States. My local grocery store only carries the 1st one so I can’t compare to the other 2 and give you a review. Just wanted to let you know that there are options out there.
Peruvian Salsa Verde Recipe and Variations
I love, love, love this green sauce. It gives any food a kick of spice and a wonderful taste. In most Peruvian restaurants I’ve been to, the salsa is served on the side so people can add it to their food as desired. I definitely do that at home, but I also use it as a dip with chips sometimes. I’m sure that’s not the traditional way, but I enjoy that combination as well. Last week when I was cooking Lomo Saltado, I was using some of the extra french fries and dipping them in spicy aji verde while cooking & dancing in my kitchen:).
Some Variations of Salsa Verde
My recipe below is a tried and true recipe that even my Peruvian friends say is as authentic as it gets. However, I also wanted to present you with some variations so you can have options.
- In most US markets you can find aji amarillo paste and in some places actual aji amarillo. Please keep in mind that below recipe uses paste since I can’t find actual yellow chiles.
- Some people add crackers to salsa verde and blend it to create a thicker sauce. I don’t personally do that.
- I also saw some recipes that use cheese, either local cheese in Peru or white cheese. In all the restaurants I have been to, none of the salsa verdes I tried had cheese so I personally don’t add any cheese to my recipe.
- Some people replace mayonnaise for Greek yogurt or thick milk cream.
- I don’t add the following ingredients, but I have seen versions with them so wanted to bring them up: lettuce, green onions, spinach etc.
- I took the pictures of the salsa as soon as I blend it, that’s why it has air bubbles in it. If you use a bigger blender there will be no air bubbles. Also, letting it chill for few minutes in the refrigerator before serving will also make the bubbles go away and the salsa will smoother when served, more creamy like.
Spicy Green Sauce (Peruvian Salsa Verde with Huacatay)
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro should be about 1-1.5 cups chopped
- 1 lime I use about 1-2 tbsps of fresh lime juice, so you don't need the whole lime
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 0.5 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp aji amarillo paste
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1.5 tbsps huacatay paste
- pinch salt
- 2 tbsps water (optional if you want a runny sauce, not too thick)
Instructions
- I use a small blender for this sauce. Start by cleaning jalapenos, chopping cilantro and mincing garlic. When chopping cilantro I remove any large stems but I'm not too picky, I just chop as fine as I can on a cutting board.
- De-seed the jalapeno, wash well and chop in large pieces.
- Blend mayonnaise, lime juice, jalapenos and garlic first. Make sure it's a fine blend. It took me about a minute or two to get a very smooth consistency.
- Then add aji amarillo, huacatay, olive oil, salt and chopped cilantro. Continue blending until all the cilantro has been blended and there are no large pieces. If the sauce is too thick, add 2 tbsps of water, blend few more seconds and add to a serving bowl.
- You can chill before serving.
Video
Notes
- This portion as described above is about 4 servings for us because we really like the sauce. But I have also noticed people who will not have as much as we do. However, if you have a large party double up the recipe!!
- You can adjust the level of spiciness to your liking. This is very spicy!! It has both jalapenos and aji amarillo, so that’s to be expected. If you can’t handle too much spice, cut the qtys in half. Huacatay is not spicy so no need to cut that.
Nutrition Label
Nutrition
If you would like to save this recipe for later, please save the below image to Pinterest. Thank you very much:)
Additional Salsas & Dips Recipes
Check out my other salsas and dips recipes below:
- Chimichurri Sauce (Keto BBQ Condiment) – Argentinian
- Bolivian Llajua – Tomato Salsa
- Albanian Sour Cream Dip – with Walnuts & Garlic
kate
I went to Peru several years ago and loved this sauce. This year for my garden I found seeds to try growing both the aji amarillo and huacatay! I’m excited for the challenge and if they grow, I’ll be trying to adapt this recipe to use with fresh pepper/herb! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Sonila
Thank you so much Kate. Yes, that’s my goal too to plant my own. Recently I found a Latin Supermarket here in Miami that had frozen Aji Amarillo peppers and frozen Rocoto peppers. I prepared an aji amarillo base and a rocoto base too and refrigerated them. Now I can use them in sauces, dishes and even dips. Also, the frozen aji amarillo if thawed well to room temperature was great on ceviche too. So I’m very excited for this new discovery:))). As per huacatay, I’m hoping to get seeds and plant it myself. My husband grew up in Bolivia and they use all these ingredients too, so I’d love to have them fresh for home cooking. All the best to you and if you ever grow the peppers and huacatay and have any tips, please let me know. I’d really appreciate it!
kate
The huacatay is thriving in my garden right now! Going to try making this in the coming week… Not really sure how much fresh herb to use instead of the amount of paste you have here. If you know how they compare, I’d love a tip! The Ají Amarillo plant is doing really well too, but too early for peppers, so I’ll still go with that paste. Looking forward to trying this!
kate
I made it tonight with fresh herb from my garden! The long leaves, taking out the thicker stems, probably around 1cm in diameter-worth, around 7g (they are light!) Only half a large jalapeno and a tsp aji amarillo paste and no garlic (raw garlic gives me issues) – otherwise, pretty similar to your recipe and it was delicious!! It tasted just like I remembered from Peru. That huacatay flavor is just so unique and I love it. Already planning to grow the herb in my garden every year and to try to make homemade paste to freeze so I can make sure to have this salsa in my life all year long. The plant is super easy to grow. I got my seeds from trueloveseeds.com.
Sonila
Thank you so much Kate for letting me know!! I found huacatay seeds in Etsy as well as Aji amarillo seeds. I also found frozen aji amarillo at a Latin Supermarket here in Miami and have been making my own paste that I use as a base in cooking when I want to use Aji Amarillo. Soo good!!
I am hesitant to plant the huacatay now because it’s been soooo hot so I’m afraid it won’t thrive. Maybe I can wait till September…here in South Fl we can plant in early Spring or early Fall so I’ll try September. I really appreciate you sharing how you made yours!! Thank you:))
Mira
I just made it. This is a FANTASTCI recipe! I was in Lima twice and was mesmerized by the Peruvian food. Ever since, I’ve been trying to incorporate at least some of its elements into my cooking. My 5-mins away grocery store has many Peruvian spices, aji amarillo and huacatay paste among others. I’ve seen many salsa verde recipes but just by reading yours I knew it was THE one! And it was. Tonight we are having Peruvian rotisserie-style chicken thighs (store-bought marinade), papa a la Huancaina and coarsely-chopped avocado and tomatoes, to be drizzled with your fantastic salsa verde. This recipe is a keeper and will be made again, doubled and with a bit more extra heat. Thanks from your neighbor (in Europe) but a fellow US.
admin
Thank you so much Mira:))). I really appreciate your comment!! What an amazing meal you are putting together!!
Yes, definitely add more heat, I keep it light because of the kids:))
I make a papa a la huancaina Bolivian style but hope to add soon the my blog the Peruvian version!!
Enjoy your weekend and thank you again:)
cassie
Great recipe! Do you know how long it lasts in the fridge?
Sonila
Hi Cassie, thank you for trying the recipe. We usually store leftovers a day or two in the refrigerator. The flavor does get a little stronger, especially the spiciness. I haven’t tried storing it longer than that.
Sharon
I will make it as soon as I get all the ingredients. Thank you for the recipe.
Sonila
Thank you Sharon:) I hope you enjoy it and that you can find all the ingredients!
Beth
This recipe looks delicious, but I love anything that can be made in 7 minutes! I will have to look around for those special ingredients here in Denver. There are some mercados not far away that might have them. Lovely photo, too!
Sonila
Ahhh I hope you find the ingredients!! It’s really a delicious spicy sauce, I exaggerate a little by putting it everywhere when I prepare it:))
Angela Greven | Mean Green Chef
Wow, this looks like one flavor-packed salsa verde! Thanks for introducing me to aji amarillo and huacatay def plan on trying this, thank you for sharing 🙂
Jacqueline Debono
This salsa verde looks and sounds so good. I’m not sure I can find huacatay or aji amarillo in any form here in Italy, but I want to try ordering online. This is a great post. I love learning about dishes and ingredients from other parts of the world!
Heather Behrends
Wow, I’ve never heard of huacatay before. I was so happy you went into so much detail about this ingredient – I learned so much! This sounds like the very kind of sauce my husband would LOVE. I’m grabbing the recipe and will see about finding the ingredients for it. Thank you for sharing!
Sonila
Thank you Heather!! I am glad you liked the descriptions of the black mint. I knew it was not something people are familiar with so wanted to make sure I really explain it how it is used and where it grows. Hope one day to have fresh leaves to take pictures and share as well.
Simone
I’m not familiar with aji amarillo (spicy yellow chile) & huacatay (black mint), so thanks for introducing me to these ingredients! I’ll look for them locally, if I can’t find them I’ll return & click through your Amazon link 🙂
Sonila
Thank you Simone!! I use the paste because I can’t find them fresh or powder, I guess in other areas you might have more options so maybe check what’s available in your store. I like the paste too because it lasts for a long time when refrigerated so I can cook several times with it.
Patrice Rutledge
This sauce looks delicious! Particularly enjoyed learning more about huacatay, an ingredient I wasn’t that familiar with.
Sonila
Thank you Patrice!! I can’t wait till I go back to Bolivia and hopefully visit Peru next time. That area is like a culinary treasure:). So much to learn and try.
Beth
I have yellow Thai chiii paste, I am thinking to try it with that. Such a pretty sauce!
admin
Please let me know how it turns out!! I have to try it with that and see how similar or different the taste will be. Thank you:)
Heide
I just found this recipe and can’t wait to try it. I have been growing huacatay and was wondering how to use it. I also purchased a yellow chili pepper plant from a shop where they were selling it as a decorative plant. So now I have a mission! Use those along with the wild cilantro growing all over my garden with garlic and citrus. Can’t wait! Thanks for the inspiration!
Sonila
Hi Heide, thank you so much for writing. I’m so impressed you have huacatary plant:)). I have only used it in a paste form personally because I can’t find it fresh here in Florida. I hope to find some seeds and plant it one day. My husband who is from Bolivia tells me that they buy huacatay fresh from local markets and they use it fresh on salsas or dips, also fresh chopped over some soups. They also dry the excess and use it in different forms of cooking. Finally, they make a huacatay paste with it for longer preservation. I’m lucky to find the paste in a grocery store here in FL. My mother in law has promised to teach me a recipe with huacatay and chicken and I hope to publish that after I cook it 2-3 times myself. All the best to you!! So happy about your garden. It brings me so much joy to have some herbs and tomatoes in my garden and hope to add more soon.
Holly Bird
So excited to try this we have so many chilis that grow here and yellow is very easy to find!! Thank you! YUM!
admin
Oh please let me know how it turns out:)). I use yellow chili paste so I wonder how it is with fresh.