Peruvian Salsa Criolla (Lime-Cured Red Onion Relish)

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The crisp, electric onion relish that sits beside every rotisserie chicken, chicharrón sandwich and plate of ceviche in Lima. Two knife-work details do all the work: slicing the red onion pole-to-pole so it stays crunchy instead of collapsing, and a short ice-water soak that strips out the sulfurous bite before the lime goes in. Aji amarillo paste brings the fruity, sunny heat that separates this from a plain onion salad. No cooking, ten minutes of prep, and it makes almost any grilled or fried thing taste more expensive.

Ingredients

• 2 medium red onions (about 1 lb total)
• 1 tsp kosher salt, for the soak
• 4 cups cold water plus a handful of ice

• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice (from about 2 limes)
• 1 tbsp aji amarillo paste
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
• 1 rocoto or fresh red chile, seeded and slivered (optional)
• 1 small plum tomato, seeded and cut into thin strips (optional)

Instructions

1. Trim the root and stem ends off the onions, halve them from top to bottom, and peel. Lay each half cut-side down and slice pole-to-pole (following the natural lines of the onion, not across them) as thinly as you can manage — 1/16 inch is the target. Slicing with the grain this way keeps the strips springy and crunchy instead of turning limp in the lime.
2. Put the sliced onion in a bowl, add 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and toss with your hands for 15 seconds so every strip is coated. Let it sit 5 minutes; the salt draws out the harsh sulfur compounds.
3. Transfer the onion to a colander and rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds, rubbing with your fingers. Drop the rinsed onion into 4 cups cold water with a handful of ice and let it soak 10 minutes. It will firm up and lose its aggressive edge.
4. Drain the onion well, then spin it dry in a salad spinner or pile it onto a clean kitchen towel and blot. Water is the enemy here — a wet onion makes a watery salsa.
5. In the bottom of a serving bowl, whisk together the lime juice, aji amarillo paste, oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and the black pepper until smooth and slightly emulsified.
6. Add the dried onion and toss with your hands or two forks, lifting rather than stirring, until every strip is glossed. Fold in the cilantro, and the rocoto and tomato strips if using.
7. Let the salsa criolla stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before serving — long enough for the lime to lightly cure the onion, short enough that it still snaps. Taste and add salt or a squeeze more lime just before it goes to the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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