Name: Tina's Green Sauce Recipe
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients: 2 small jalapeños, stems removed and roughly chopped (remove the seeds for a milder sauce); 2 large garlic cloves; Kosher salt; 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves; 1 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and sliced; 1/4 cup everyday olive oil

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By Ben Mims

Sept. 3, 2020

This sauce is an adaptation of Peruvian aji verde, using jalapeños instead of traditional rocoto peppers. Many recipes for this sauce use mayonnaise but according to my research, the sauce served at Tina’s Cuban Cuisine in New York (whose sauce inspired this one) does not. Instead, it uses avocado to add creaminess to the verdant sauce, which is an essential condiment drizzled onto each bite of Fried Pork Sandwich.

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2 small jalapeños, stems removed and roughly chopped (remove the seeds for a milder sauce)

2 large garlic cloves

Kosher salt

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves

1 ripe avocados, halved, pitted and sliced

¼ cup everyday olive oil

In a blender or food processor, combine the jalapeños and garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Season liberally with salt then pour over the lime juice. Puree until as smooth as possible, scraping the bowl as needed, then let stand for 5 minutes.

Add the cilantro and avocado. With the machine running, pour in the olive oil and 2 tablespoons cold water until the sauce is smooth and pourable. Season with more salt, if needed, then pour into a bowl to serve.

Make Ahead:

Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Ben Mims

Ben Mims is a former cooking columnist for the Los Angeles Times. He has written three cookbooks and has worked as a food editor and recipe developer for several food media publications, such as Lucky Peach, Food & Wine, Saveur, Food Network and Buzzfeed/Tasty.