Salsa de Aguacate, Taqueria Avocado Salsa
This is the smooth green sauce that squeeze bottles hold on taqueria counters, thinner and more pourable than guacamole and built to go over everything. Boiled tomatillos give it a savory, rounded tartness, avocado makes it creamy and rich without any oil, and serrano, garlic, and a whole bunch of cilantro carry the flavor. The trick is texture: blend it loose enough to pour, thinning with the tomatillo cooking water until it streams off the spoon rather than sits in a mound. It leans entirely on the avocado and lime for richness and seasoning, so it needs no salt. Spoon it over beans, roasted vegetables, or bowls, or use it as a dip. It is cheap, it takes ten minutes, and it is best the day it is made.
Ingredients
- 6 wholes Tomatillo, husked and rinsed
- 1 whole Avocado
- 1 whole Serrano
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 cup Cilantro, leaves and stems
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Simmer the husked tomatillos and the whole serrano in water until they turn from bright to dull olive and soften, about 6 minutes. Cooking the tomatillos knocks back their raw, aggressive tartness into something round and savory, which is why a raw green salsa tastes so much sharper than a taqueria one.
- Drain and drop the tomatillos and serrano into a blender with the avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and black pepper. Keep the tomatillo cooking water nearby to thin with.
- Blend until completely smooth, adding a splash of the reserved water at a time until it pours in a thin, loose stream off the spoon. This is the whole point of the sauce: it is not chunky guacamole but a pourable salsa, so keep thinning until it drips rather than mounds.
- Taste and adjust with a little more lime if it needs brightening. The avocado makes it taste rich enough that no salt is needed, but the acid keeps it lively, so lean on the lime instead. For less heat, seed the serrano before blending.
- Serve right away or chill. Press a piece of plastic against the surface if it sits, since the exposed top will darken as the avocado meets the air, though a good layer of lime slows that down.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 50 calories, 1 g protein, 2 g fiber, 10 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
