Salsa Criolla Recipe (2024)

My Peruvian mother in law makes several variations of this salsa. Her trick is to soak and rinse the onion slices in cold water 2-3 times while prepping the other vegetables. The onion becomes sweeter and extra crisp. She also adds a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Its refreshing and very delicious.

Feeling benevolent today so will share a self-discovered modification. To tame the sharpness of red onion, after slicing them plunged them in boiling water for a minute or so. Drain, let them cool off and proceed with the rest of the recipe. It makes it more amenable with whatever dish you are serving the salsa with. It’s divine with grilled fish.

Delicious! Found this a great topping for any number of meals. Easy to work around. I used jalapeno since that is what I had on hand. Will try with serrano the next time around.

Washing and draining the onions after slicing gives a milder, nicer flavor. We use our mild ají amarillo, but if you can’t find it, this combination of yellow pepper and Serrano seems to give a similar taste. In Peru we serve salsa criolla with arroz con pollo, sándwiches and it’s delicious with lentils and beans.

I enjoyed this zingy, colorful condiment alongside Kay Chun's delicious Arroz con Pollo. I had only 1 lime on hand so I supplemented it with an equal part white wine vinegar and 1 tsp. neutral oil (grapeseed in this case). Didn't have a serrano pepper (which would have added a nice heat to it), so I used jalapeno instead. Make a few hours or more ahead to allow the veggies to soften and absorb the flavor. It was fun to play with this recipe a bit to get the right balance of flavors.

so simple yet so good! i used a thai chili because it was what I had on hand - yowza haha but still delicious

Cover sliced onion in coarse salt & let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing and adding other ingredients to reduce the raw onion breath effect. Fresno pepper is a nice alternative to the serrano. Absolutely delicious accompaniment to the Arroz con Pollo Verde. Total thumbs up from my Colombiano son.

I am Peruvian. There are many ways of preparing salsa criolla but never with Serrano chiles. Serrano chiles are from Mexico, you will never find them in Peru. Instead, you can use Rocoto peppers which you can find frozen in some Latino markets. Also, it would be better to thinly slice the ají amarillo peppers since you don’t want the salsa to be too spicy. You can use the salsa criolla on canary beans and rice or Peruvian tamales.

These were just the ticket for a quick meal. I used as the topping for chicken soft tacos. Only bother ingredients were some guacamole and a little sour cream.

Absolutely delicious. I made this for my firehouse crew as part of lunch & it's already gone. Already requested that I make it again next shift!

Delicious and a necessary component to arroz con pollo. I used one seeded Serrano which was plenty. Soaked red onion before mixing with salt and lime juice. Beautiful presentation and so flavorful.

Imake this using fresh chili and dried aji amarrillo powder from a local spice store. Try it on baked ribs....

I’ve been making this for years thanks to my Peruvian in-laws. It’s best to soak the sliced onions in ice water for 15 to 20 mins first as it lessens the pungency. I typically don’t do the red bell pepper. You can do any type of hot pepper, I use a few thin slices of habanero. I also add a little olive oil too. You can use this stuff on anything. We always have as an accompaniment to grilled meats. Especially good with carnitas and even on top of deviled eggs.

Washing and draining the onions after slicing gives a milder, nicer flavor. We use our mild ají amarillo, but if you can’t find it, this combination of yellow pepper and Serrano seems to give a similar taste. In Peru we serve salsa criolla with arroz con pollo, sándwiches and it’s delicious with lentils and beans.

My Peruvian mother in law makes several variations of this salsa. Her trick is to soak and rinse the onion slices in cold water 2-3 times while prepping the other vegetables. The onion becomes sweeter and extra crisp. She also adds a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Its refreshing and very delicious.

Feeling benevolent today so will share a self-discovered modification. To tame the sharpness of red onion, after slicing them plunged them in boiling water for a minute or so. Drain, let them cool off and proceed with the rest of the recipe. It makes it more amenable with whatever dish you are serving the salsa with. It’s divine with grilled fish.

Delicious! Found this a great topping for any number of meals. Easy to work around. I used jalapeno since that is what I had on hand. Will try with serrano the next time around.