The Mexican sauces recipes are highly valuable preparations in Mexican gastronomy. It’s hard to find a dish that doesn’t have them as an accompaniment.
Talking about them implies going back to the pre-Hispanic era and the American conquest, whose fusion of cultures gave rise to that blend of flavors.
Their primary ingredients are chili and corn, which when eaten together produce a rich sensation on the palate.
But those are not the only elements used in their preparation. There are many other combinations that give meals an excellent taste.
Popular Mexican Sauces Recipes
Without exaggeration, there are over a hundred recipes for Mexican sauces. They are a delight for both locals and foreigners.
From the very spicy ones, made with dried or fresh fruits, roasted, cooked, fried, ground, and chopped, to the milder ones.
There are also the acidic ones with a slight sweet touch, for those who prefer that flavor contrast.
Among the most common and tasty are the red, Valentina, morita, green, tomato-based, Jalisco-style, chamoy, and borracha sauces.
Other must-haves on the table are pico de gallo, guacamole, tamulada or habanero chili sauce, chipotle, devilish, guajillo, and macha.
Each one has different textures, colors, and flavors and is prepared differently, whether raw, cooked, or mixed.
They are available in all supermarkets, but most Mexicans prefer to make them at home.
These are the most popular, even outside of Mexico.
Red Sauce
It’s one of the typical Mexican sauce recipes prepared in a molcajete to give it a special flavor.
This is a volcanic stone or clay mortar where ingredients are manually crushed to absorb those minerals.
This dressing is made with four tomatoes, three serrano peppers, a piece of onion, two cloves of garlic, arból chili, and some sprigs of cilantro.
The ingredients are roasted and then crushed in the molcajete or blended. It’s ideal for accompanying snacks, tacos, and quesadillas.
VALENTINA Sauce
Originating from Tamazula, Jalisco, this is a classic in Mexican cuisine and one of the spiciest sauces. It’s prepared with red jalapeño or serrano peppers, guajillos, and two cloves of garlic.
These are chopped into pieces and placed in a bowl with a teaspoon of salt.
Then, a cup of white vinegar is added, covered with plastic, and left to marinate for four days in a cool place.
After that time, it’s blended with a little pepper to achieve a slightly thick consistency.
PICO DE GALLO Sauce
Also known as salsa bandera because it has the colors of the Mexican flag, it’s a kind of salad with a spicy and refreshing touch at the same time.
Its basic ingredients are jalapeño or serrano chili, red tomato, sweet or red onion, chopped cilantro, and lemon juice.
The vegetables are diced and transferred to a bowl. Then, a pinch of salt and the juice of half a lemon are added and mixed well.
It’s undoubtedly the perfect accompaniment for tortillas, grilled meats, poultry, and fish.
GUACAMOLE
This is another famous Mexican sauce recipe that has become popular worldwide due to its exquisite flavor.
It’s made with avocado, green chili or pepper, scallion, tomato, lime, and cilantro. It’s very rich and easy to make for enjoyment on any occasion.
Just chop all the ingredients into small pieces, mix, and season with a little salt and lime juice to enhance the flavor.
The avocado is mashed to achieve a creamy consistency but not completely. You can add a little oil to prevent it from oxidizing quickly.
MACHA Sauce
It’s called that because it’s made with crushed or mashed ingredients in a molcajete.
It’s so versatile that it enhances the flavor of any dish, such as pozole, tacos, seafood, grilled meat, quesadillas, snacks, and Mexican pork leg (chamorro).
Basically, it’s made with dried arból chili, vegetable oil, garlic, and salt to taste.
The stems are removed from the chilies and cut with scissors. Then, they’re fried and left to rest for a few minutes before being crushed with garlic and salt.
The mixture is stored in a glass jar with the remaining oil.
RANCHERA Sauce
It’s used to season many dishes like traditional huevos rancheros, soups, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and tostadas, giving them a smoky and spicy touch.
To make it, you need two green serrano peppers, ½ kilogram of ripe tomatoes, ¼ kilogram of onion, two cloves of garlic, and salt to taste.
They are roasted on a griddle over medium heat, being careful not to burn them, to extract all the aromas from these foods.
Then, they are blended and cooked in the same oil used for roasting, seasoned with salt and pepper. The result is delicious.
CHILE HABANERO Sauce
It’s a typical recipe from Yucatán cuisine used to accompany different dishes, but in small doses because it’s acidic and spicy.
Its preparation is very simple. It involves roasting two habanero chilies, chopping and crushing them with seeds in a tamul (a traditional Mexican mortar).
A teaspoon of salt is added, along with ½ cup of orange or lemon juice, and it’s placed in a sauce bowl.
These Mexican sauces recipes are incredibly delicious and versatile.
Natives eat them at any time of the day, often using them to dip nachos and as complements to other traditional regional dishes.
Like the rest of the national cuisine, they are part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity according to UNESCO.
Moreover, they don’t require many ingredients, so making them is economical, providing plenty of options to please different tastes.