A creamy, spicy, vegan delight – perfect for tacos, eggs, or just tortilla chips!
If you get tacos anywhere in Austin, you will more than likely be offered several salsa options, one of which is invariably a thick and creamy green sauce. Don’t be fooled by the smooth texture and pale color into thinking this is an avocado or dairy-smothered situation. Oftentimes, the green guy is hotter than its red and orange salsa sidekicks, thanks to a base of roasted jalapeños, usually inclusive of the fiery core and seeds. The “cream” is actually emulsified oil, making this sauce 100% vegan. The contrast of a cooling creamy texture with a slow afterburn is seriously addictive.
When we go back to visit Austin, I always make a point to get as much green salsa as humanly possible in the short time we are there. Luckily, making Austin-style green salsa at home is totally doable – maybe too doable, as we are already on our second batch in as many weeks. I use this salsa on literally everything – it’s a perfect wake-me-up on breakfast tacos, enjoyed with tortilla chips and a cold beer, and even as a tingly acidic foil to smoky barbecued meats. We most recently took it on a camping trip and enjoyed it with homemade pollo asado tacos – and because we’re a little extra when it comes to tacos, we of course brought along a gas griddle to heat the tortillas in the woods.
All you need to make this salsa are jalapeño pepers, garlic, cilantro (which is optional), garlic (which I forgot to include in the picture above – oops!) and lime juice. The hardest part is broiling the peppers, which does require some hands-on babysitting to ensure evenly blistered peppers that will peel easily (with gloves!, unless you don’t have plans to touch your face for the next 24 hours). Having a blender or food processor with a feed tube makes the process of emulsifying the salsa very easy, and the final product comes together in literally seconds. An advantage of making it at home is that you can control the spice level by choosing how much of the seeds and core to include. If you like your salsa really spicy, you don’t even have to core the peppers – just trim the stems and use the whole shebang!
Stay spicy my friends 🙂 If you make this, let me know what you think in the comments!
Austin-style Jalapeño Salsa
This salsa can be as hot as you want to make it; the heat level will depend on how much of the jalapeño seeds and core you remove – the more you leave in, the hotter it will be!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. jalapeño peppers (about 4-5 large peppers, 6-7 small ones)
- 2 large cloves garlic
- juice of 1 small lime
- 1/4 loosely packed fresh cilantro, optional
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (canola, sunflower, etc.)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat your oven broiler to high, and position an oven rack ~8 inches from the broiler.
- Wearing gloves, core the jalapeños with a paring knife or corer, removing as many/few of the seeds as you like to adjust to your desired heat level (I usually leave about half). Put the jalapeños and the unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet and place under the broiler. Remove the garlic after 5 minutes, and leave the jalapenos until they are blistered on both sides, keeping a close eye and turning as needed to cook all sides – this will take 10-15 minutes.
- Put the jalapeños and garlic in a bowl with a lid and let steam for 5 minutes to loosen the skins. After 5 minutes, re-don your gloves and carefully peel the skins off the peppers and garlic. It’s ok if some of the skin remains.
- Place the peeled jalapeños and garlic along with the cilantro (if using) and lime juice into a food processor with the feed tube attachment or blender. Process/blend until smooth, about 1 minute.
- With the blade running, slowly pour the oil in a steady stream, stopping twice to scrape the bowl and make sure all ingredients are incorporated.
- Add salt and pulse a few time, taste, and add more salt if needed.
- Salsa will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.
This salsa is the best salsa i have tried in my life, literally ! So smooth and fresh, and the flavors are well balanced – Emily, your cooking is amazing !
Delish! I think cilantro is a must. But that is my Texan opinion.