Ají (Colombian-Style Fresh Salsa) Recipe (2024)

If you're going to use Serrano's, I'd recommend using at least two. Also should be served cold so it's a good idea to refrigerate for about an hour, that lets the flavor marinate a little better too.

Colombian American here- I personally recommend using lime juice (lots) instead of water :( It will bring out more flavors of the entire mix. You want to ensure there is enough juice each time you pour a tiny bit into the empanada. And def chill for a good hour! The colder the better. Great recipe!

I am one of those odd people who cannot tolerate cilantro....I am wondering if you can substitute parsley for the cilantro?

Try it and see! It seems like it should work. Maybe adding a little lemon to add the brightness that cilantro brings that parsley doesn't have.

Another colombian here - delicious recipe! Cheryl - if you really cannot befriend cilantro, try one part parsley and one part mint - mix the herbs until you find the balance you like. And I agree, balance the acidity of the lime with water until you make it your own. In Colombia, every household, in every region has its own ají recipe.

Yes, you can substitute parsley or basil for the cilantro. It tastes great!

Delicious and I imagine would be great on a nice grilled white fish.

I followed another reader’s note and did not add water but did add more lime. It turned out marvelously and reminded me of my days in Chile (although this is a Colombian recipe).

May 2023: I made as written. Very good on Day 1, but on the following day, the curiously strong onion flavor prevailed. Weeks later, the washed tupperware still reeks of onion! Moral: eat it all on Day 1!

Not to ‘cross’ websites but I used the Chefsteps recipe ‘from corn kernels to fresh masa.’ Nixtamalized whole dried kernels. It took *all*day* but the masa was silky and resilient, my daughter said it rolled out like PlayDough and the flavor was so transcendentally…corn. That and Impossible Burger made this the best thing we’ve eaten in a while!

I just made and it was wonderful. However, couldn’t it be made by roughly chopping all the ingredients (no cilantro stems) and adding all to the food processor?

I followed another reader’s note and did not add water but did add more lime. It turned out marvelously and reminded me of my days in Chile (although this is a Colombian recipe).

Halve the chili and halve the salt

Good. Just a bit bitter (maybe from cilantro stems?)

Quite tasty. We had a ton of coriander in the garden over winter so a great way to use it up and add flavour to dishes. I would quibble that leftovers do NOT last a week - after only a couple days in the fridge, mine looked quite gross and discoloured, and the texture was already quite a bit soppier than when I first made it.

Another colombian here - delicious recipe! Cheryl - if you really cannot befriend cilantro, try one part parsley and one part mint - mix the herbs until you find the balance you like. And I agree, balance the acidity of the lime with water until you make it your own. In Colombia, every household, in every region has its own ají recipe.

Colombian American here- I personally recommend using lime juice (lots) instead of water :( It will bring out more flavors of the entire mix. You want to ensure there is enough juice each time you pour a tiny bit into the empanada. And def chill for a good hour! The colder the better. Great recipe!

My family’s variation on ají includes using a fine dice of equal parts: red onion, red pepper, cilantro, and tomato. Mix and add ketchup, vinegar , juice of one lime olive oil and salt to taste.

Add some lime juice.

This was excellent! Just made it tonight. Will definitely be making it again, but doubling the recipe, and probably finding some way to up the spice level. Great combination of flavors, regardless.

"Finished ají can be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week."Curious if anyone with food safety expertise can corroborate or counter this timeframe; my fridge is often filled with random containers of homemade salsas/pestos/sauces that I end up throwing out due to concerns about safety. Should I immediately freeze half in the future, or does that compromise flavor? Which ingredients alter the freezer rules (assuming dairy, but what about tahini?)

Delicious and I imagine would be great on a nice grilled white fish.

This is a silly question, but I have an overabundance of hot Hungarian was peppers; would those work? Or, conversely, does ANYONE have advice besides pickling or freezing them?