Mint-Jalapeño Salsa Recipe

This This Mint-Jalapeño Salsa makes a lovely condiment or baste for Lamb, but it is a great sauce or dip with other meats and vegetables too.

I first put together the prototype of this sauce for use as a condiment with some grilled lamb skewers and then followed that use up by marinating a small Lamb Roast in it and using extra to base the meat as it cooks. Since then, I have discovered many other dishes involving other meats, or vegetables where the blend works well.

Ingredient Notes

The recipe, as is, calls for Jalapeño Peppers, which produces a fairly mild result. If you were going to use the condiment as the base for a Curry Paste, as I suggest below, you might wish to switch up the heat a bit and go for Thai Green Chili, or the like.

How to make Mint-Jalapeño Salsa

All you need do is put all the ingredients into a food processor and blend well until as smooth as possible. I have left the actual amount of oil a little vague as you may wish to use more or less depending on the thickness of the finished sauce that you desire. Once blended, all you need do is pop it in the fridge and let the flavours meld together overnight.

You can, of course, extend the basic flavors with the additional ingredients (rosemary, or capers perhaps) and make it thinner with extra vinegar, lemon juice, or whatever you like.

As I say, I first used this to drizzle over skewers of lamb chunks with onion but there are many possibilities for the sauce including:

• As a marinade, either standalone or blended with a little yoghurt;
• As a cold sauce for lamb or Donair meat, again alone, or with yoghurt;
• As a dip for whatever you like; or,
• As a warm sauce for roast lamb, or various vegetables.
• As the base for a South-East Asian style Curry Paste.

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Mint-Jalapeño Salsa

This Mint-Jalapeño Salsa makes a great condiment or grilling baste for Lamb, but it is great sauce or dip with other meats and vegetables too

Prep Time20 mins

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: General

Keyword: Green Chili, Mint, Oil, Scallion

Servings: 1 Cup

Author: John Thompson

Ingredients

• 11/2 – 2 cups fresh Mint Leaves;
• 3 Scallions chopped;
• 3 small Jalapeños seeded and chopped;
• ½ cup light Oil more or less;
• ¾ tsp. Salt;
• 1 generous pinch Black Pepper;
• 2 Tbsp. Vinegar.

Instructions

• Place all ingredients except the oil into a food processor and grind to a paste, adding oil a little at a time until the desired paste consistency is reached.
• Transfer the contents to a suitable container and let rest for several hours, or overnight.