Aji verde is a Peruvian green hot sauce typically served with roasted chicken.
Aji Verde (Peruvian Green Sauce)
It’s made from fresh cilantro, aji amarillo peppers, huacatay (black mint), and queso fresco blended into a creamy, spicy green sauce. It pairs wonderfully with grilled meats, roasted veggies, empanadas, or bread.
Ingredients
- 1 whole lime juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup good-quality mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s)
- 3 oz queso fresco or blanco
- 2 serrano peppers ends trimmed
- 1 bunch cilantro with the leaves removed and stems discarded
- 4 garlic cloves peeled
- 2 green onions ends trimmed and roughly chopped
- 2 tsp huacatay paste (optional)
- 1 tbsp aji amarillo paste (optional)
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- To a blender, add the lime juice, olive oil, cheese, mayonnaise, serrano peppers, cilantro leaves, garlic cloves, green onions, huacatay paste, aji amarillo and salt. Blend for about 1 to 2 minutes, until very smooth. At first the cilantro leaves won’t be totally smooth, but keep the blender running and it will eventually become cohesive and smooth.
- Give it a taste and adjust the salt according to your liking. Keeps in the fridge for up to a week.
- If you have a super high powered blender such as a Vitamix or Ninja, etc, it can process a lot of the stems. If you don’t, I suggest to remove all of the cilantro leaves.
- I would suggest to add the liquids to the bottom of the blender and then add the cilantro on top. It helps combine all of the ingredients.
- To make this Whole 30, eliminate the cheese and replace it with a bit more Whole 30 compliant mayonnaise.
185 calories· 1.5 g carbohydrates· 1.4 g protein· 19.6 g fat· 3.2 g saturated fat· 11 mg cholesterol· 222 mg sodium· 34 mg potassium· 0.4 g fiber· 0.3 g sugar· 80 mg calcium·