Salsa Criolla

This salsa criolla recipe is so easy to make and enhances anything you serve it with. It also lasts for a few days, so you can make a batch and let the flavors accumulate. It’s essentially thinly sliced red onion with lime juice and salt. Easy, right? But that’s enough to create a sweet, crunchy salsa that will elevate your cooking.

In its native Peru, salsa criolla can be a salad, side dish or salsa. There are no strict rules, however, so if you want to serve it with potatoes, burgers or eggs, anything goes.

What Is Salsa Criolla?

Salsa criolla is a Latin American staple made of thinly sliced red onion, peppers, garlic, vinegar, oil, fresh herbs and seasonings. Order any meal in a Peruvian restaurant and salsa criolla will duly arrive at the table to go with it. The thinly sliced, pickled red onions go as seamlessly with a shrimp ceviche as they do in a hearty butifarra sandwich. In fact, versions of salsa criolla exist throughout Latin American cuisine. You’ll see different types of peppers used, but red onions are mandatory.

Ingredients for Salsa Criolla

• Lime juice: Don’t try to take a shortcut and use bottled juice. You want freshly squeezed lime juice for this recipe.
• Canola oil: This won’t impact the flavor much, but it will give the liquid a velvety gloss.
• Salt: Essential for drawing out the juice from the onions and peppers, so aim for high quality sea salt.
• Red onions: No thick chunks here. For the authentic serving, you want thinly sliced, feather-cut onion.
• Peppers: These add sweetness rather than spice. Thinly slice sweet orange or yellow peppers, or aji amarillo if you can find them.
• Jalapeno pepper: Remove the seeds and thin slice into a julienne cut for spice.
• Cilantro: Freshly chopped cilantro leaves are another signature flavor of Latin American cooking.

Directions

Step 1: Combine all ingredients and allow to marinate

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil and salt. Add the red onion, sweet peppers, jalapeno and cilantro. Toss to combine and serve at room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Roll the lime around on a countertop to loosen the fibers and extract more juice. You can also use a fork to break down the pulp and get every last drop out.

Recipe Variations

• Add tomatoes: Thin-sliced tomatoes are more common in Argentinian versions of salsa criolla or Mexican pico de gallo, and add a soft texture
• Spice it up: For more heat, add chili pepper flakes, chopped chili peppers, or aji amarillo paste from a Latin American store
• Go for garlic: Some thin-sliced garlic lends an additional accent to the final aroma

How to Store Salsa Criolla

You’ll want to store this red onion salsa in an airtight container unless you want your whole refrigerator to take on the aroma. You can refrigerate it for three days. Don’t worry if the juice has turned pink on day two, it’s just because of the red onion. The onions will become softer and sweeter as time goes on.

Can you freeze salsa criolla?

You can certainly freeze salsa criolla for later, but there’s no denying that it’s a side dish best served fresh. Fill small ramekins first, freeze overnight, then transfer each block of frozen salsa to an airtight freezer bag for up to three months. Take out a block of salsa as needed and allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Do not reheat or the texture will be limp and the flavors bland.

Salsa Criolla Tips

How can I tone down the onion aroma?

A common trick in Latin American cuisine is to soak the onion strips in salt water for a few hours, or ideally overnight. This keeps them sweet but tempers the pungent aroma. Drain, shake off any excess water and continue with the recipe as directed.

What do I serve salsa a la criolla with?

Once you’ve tried this red onion salsa, you might well be serving it on everything. It’s an automatic pick for any Peruvian recipe, but also goes well as a dressing on Mexican tacos, or a relish on burgers and sandwiches. It’s even delicious over starchy patatas bravas or mashed potatoes.

Can I use other onions?

Switch out the red onions at your peril. They’re the cornerstone ingredient of this simple dish, so make any tweaks you want, but don’t touch the red onion. On the subject of tweaks, you can try other peppers or even leave them out entirely and go full onion.