This mild and creamy jalapeño cilantro salsa is made with fresh jalapenos, cilantro, garlic, lime juice and olive oil. This is my brother Ramon’s awesome recipe and I have to warn you that this jalapeño aji or salsa is highly addictive. It has a lot of flavor without being overly spicy. Ramon (Moncho) does a good amount of grilling and uses this sauce to accompany grilled meats, seafood, and more. I also like to use this sauce for basting when grilling. This jalapeño cilantro salsa can also be used as a dipping sauce for empanadas; it also goes great with patacones or plantain chips. I’ve also used it as a salad dressing – it works really well when you’re looking for something that will add a spicy (but mild) touch to any dish.
Video Recipe
Jalapeño cilantro salsa
Ingredients
- 4-5 jalapeños seeded, deveined and cut in large chunks
- 1 medium sized bunch of cilantro which is about a little over 1 cup of packed cilantro leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- Juice of 2 limes
- ½ to ¾ cup of olive oil or avocado oil (for a more neutral taste) adjust based on how thick you want the salsa
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a mini food processor or blender, mix/blend until all the ingredients are completely crushed and the sauce is smooth. Make sure the sauce is blended well enough so that the olive oil is well mixed into the salsa.
- Use immediately or refrigerate until ready to use. The salsa is best if used the same day it’s prepared.
Video
Notes
This aji salsa is very similar to my aji criollo recipe. It has very similar ingredients, but while you can use any variety of hot peppers for the aji criollo, for this salsa the key is to use jalapeños, it doesn’t have the same flavor if you use any other type of pepper. Also, I use water in the aji criollo, while this jalapeño cilantro salsa uses only olive oil. This jalapeño cilantro salsa reminds me of a chimichurri style sauce because of the combination of olive oil, garlic and herbs; even though traditional chimichurri uses finely chopped herbs.
Step by step preparation photos of the jalapeño cilantro salsa:
Great sauces for steak grilling and for beef filled empanadas. Orginally was looking for a meat filling for empanadas. Not only found that recipe with a avocado sauce but instructions for beer marinating and then jalepeno sauce for basting some steaks I have been searching for a delicious way to prepare. I now have the next several meals planned.
Thank you!!!
I made the jalapeño cilantro salsa last weekend with the achiote and beer steak. First the salsa is fantastic! So flavorful and versatile! I can imagine putting this salsa on a million things including salad. I will be making this for certain in the future. The Achiote steak was excellent too. Will check put more of your inspired recipes. Thank you for sharing.
This is delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I added a bit of the lime zest also. So many uses for this.
Very easy to make and very pleasant to eat. However in order to get a modest amount of heat, one might leave one jalapeno unseeded and undeveined until doing a taste test. It worked for me.
I made this and my family loved it!!!!
This is sooooo good! Thanks for sharing. We have been using it on tons of dishes and it gives food great flavor.
Do you include the olive oil while you blend it, or you put it at the end?
Olive oil is included in the blender.
Could avocado be added to this?
Of course (I add avocado to everything!), I actually have a very similar recipe for an avocado sauce: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/2013/01/29/avocado-sauce/
This was absolutely delicious!!!!! Thank you!!!
For your info…
http://ruralsweden.blogspot.se/2013/05/spicy-sauces-on-horizon_28.html
:)
Hi Laylita! Love your website! I surfed into it while looking for some good salsas, mainly for later in the season when my greenhouse will be filled to the brim with tomatoes and chillies and my kitchen garden will be overflowing with garlic and coriander (cilantro). I am growing a new chilli this year, the Aji Límon (also known as Hot Lemon, Lemon Drop) which apparently has a great citrus flavour. I was thinking of trying it in your aji criollo sauce or perhaps this one. Do you have any other suggestions for uses? I am told the plant produces enormous crops so I’m going to have to find good uses and ways of storing them! :) Greetings from Sweden, Laura