Spanish cuisine · Salads & Mezze

Mojo Verde

Canary Island green sauce of cilantro, garlic and cumin, worked in a mortar into a silky olive oil emulsion.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 2 bunches fresh cilantro
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 green Italian pepper
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 150 ml olive oil
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Trim the coarse stems from the cilantro, wash the leaves along with the tender stems, and spin them very dry — clinging water will later break the sauce.
2. Toast the cumin in a dry pan over medium heat for 1 min until fragrant, then pound it in a mortar with the coarse sea salt and peeled garlic cloves into a smooth paste.
3. Halve the pepper, remove the seeds, dice coarsely and add to the paste along with the cilantro; keep pounding or transfer everything to a blender until a coarse green mass forms.
4. Work in the olive oil in a thin stream while stirring constantly until the sauce binds creamy and glows bright green.
5. Adjust to a thick, just-pourable consistency with the white wine vinegar and water, and season with salt.
6. Let rest for at least 30 min and serve with boiled potatoes, grilled vegetables or white bread; kept under a film of oil in a jar, the mojo keeps for a week.