Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

This is a quick sauce that works well in many contexts but especially with Indian & Mexican flavors. The proportions and technique are my own but the recipe is adapted from Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce by The Chutney Life. It is very cilantro forward . If you are like me and don’t enjoy the texture of whole cilantro leaves, this is a great way to enjoy the flavor of cilantro.

I originally whipped this sauce up as a substitute for ranch dressing while making a homemade rendition of the California Pizza Kitchen’s Tostada Pizza. I haven’t gone for years but growing up, CPK was my family’s go-to restaurant and the rest of my family religiously ordered this dish. My favorite use for this sauce is as the dressing for my Esquites-inspired warm herby corn salad.

I’ve been using homemade peppers in this sauce. I’ve been tending to an heirloom serrano pepper plant from Kula Nursery in West Oakland since March and it’s borne a lovely number of peppers. I love that Kula Nursery has so many South Asian and Middle Eastern heirloom vegetable varietals and am looking forward to trying more next year.

I’m rather proud of being able to use a homegrown pepper as I’ve had a very poor tomato and strawberry harvest. My toddler son is so excited to see green tomatoes and strawberries in our garden that when I’m not looking, he picks them off with a proud smile on his face. Despite fairly prolific tomato plants, I’ve only harvested 4 ripe tomatoes this entire summer! That said, I have high hopes for next year as my toddler loves gardening and we’ve finally convinced him that tomatoes turn red when the tomato plants hold them, not humans.

Ways to Use Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Some ways you can use creamy cilantro lime sauce:

• In my Esquites-inspired warm creamy corn salad
• As a replacement for ranch dressing, such as for Tostada Pizza or a salad
• As a sandwich spread especially for
  • A fried egg sandwich
  • A fresh tomato sandwich
• As a dip for deep fried things.

Print

Creamy Cilantro Lime Sauce

Recipe by Preeyanka

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

This is an herby tangy mayonnaise based sauce that is reminiscent of green chutney but has richness and creaminess from the mayonnaise.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup ready-made mayonnaise

• 1/2 lime, juiced plus extra to taste

• 1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and thick stems removed, roughly chopped

• 1 green chili (jalapeno if you want it mild, serrano if you want it spicy), roughly chopped

• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

• 1/4 tsp cumin

• Salt to taste

Directions

• To the bowl of a small blender (or food processor), add ingredients in the following order, the mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, cumin and salad. Puree until fully blended. You may need a little extra water or lime juice if the mixture is too thick.
• Add additional chili, lime juice and salt as desired.

Notes

• You can easily make it vegan by using vegan mayonnaise.
• I use a blender because we have a small one but if you can certainly also use a small food processor or chop the cilantro finely and mix everything by hand.