Serrano Salsa Recipes

Using serrano peppers in salsa isn’t nearly as popular as using jalapenos but the serrano peppers have their own unique flavor and normally pack more of a kick. Serrano salsa is less understood but results in a very flavorful and hot salsa. Serrano peppers are used in many guacamole recipes as well. The serrano peppers add a lot of heat but are also very flavorful.

Recipes use many techniques to get the heat and taste of the peppers into the serrano salsa. The two most common are to roast the serrano peppers in the oven or on the grill to add a charred, smokey flavor. The other common method is to blend the serrano peppers in a blender with the other ingredients.

You can also dice or slice the serranos and add them (like is common in guacamole), use a serrano hot sauce, deep fry them or even add them whole. All those methods add a unique flavor to each serrano salsa recipe.

For a medium heat salsa, you can always make a jalapeno salsa recipe instead of using the serrano peppers.

Serrano Salsa Verde Recipe

A traditional salsa in mexican and southwestern cooking, salsa verde is a tangy green sauce. It can be made with any green chile pepper but using serranos provides a great kick while still letting the flavor of the other ingredients come through.

The major distinction between salsa verde and traditional salsas is the use of tomatillos instead of tomatoes as the base. The tomatillos provide the green coloring of in the salsa and a tangy, citrus like flavor that complements the heat and flavor of the serranos.

Serrano Salsa Verde Ingredients

• 6 tomatillos, husked and cut in half
• 1 red onion, peeled and cut into eighths
• 6 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 3 serrano peppers, de-stemmed, de-seeded and cut in half
• 1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoon honey
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt

Serrano Salsa Verde Directions

1) Preheat the grill or oven to 400 degrees.

2) Coat the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers with canola oil, salt and pepper and grill until the vegetables start to blacken and soften. You can also put them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 30 minutes.

3) Put the tomatillos, onion, garlic, and serrano peppers into a blender and puree until smooth.

4) Add the honey, lime juice, and the cilantro, and pulse several times until combined well.

5) Serve as you would most other salsas. Serrano salsa verde is great with tortilla chips, on tacos, burritos, and enchiladas, or even as a topping for grilled beef or chicken.

Serrano Salsa Verde Notes:

While I prefer the added flavor that roasting the ingredients adds you can also make the serrano salsa verde by skipping to step #3 and just adding all the ingredients into the blender.

For maximum flavor it is also good to let the serrano salsa verde sit in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors have a chance to fully combine.