Rarely have I been so excited to bring you a recipe. And sure-I know what you’re thinking-it’s a SAUCE. But trust me, if you are a sauce person like me, this is the one. This is the sauce that will change your life. This is Cilantro Lime Sauce (aka Magic Sauce!). Read on for a story about my fangirl crush on the creator of this sauce as well as the super easy recipe!
Now let me be very honest with you here. I did not develop this recipe. I did not discover this recipe. But I have eaten enough of it, that I feel fully qualified to tell you all about it. But first a little history…
First of all this sauce recipe (which I call Magic Sauce) comes from one of my culinary idols, Alex Roberts. Alex owns two restaurants in Minneapolis-Restaurant Alma and Brasa Rotisserie (Brasa has several locations). I have to admit, although Alma is the “finer” of the dining establishments (and is amazing in its own right), Brasa Rotisserie may be my very favorite restaurant in the whole world. If you are ever in Minneapolis (or come to visit)-run, do not walk, to the nearest Alex Roberts restaurant, I promise you will not be sorry.
Long before Holly and I started this blog we went to an Outstanding in the Field Dinner (if you haven’t attended one of these amazing outdoor, locally sourced dinners, check out the link to find out when the next one is being held in your area and book your tickets now-it was amazing!) where Alex Roberts was the chef. If I wasn’t already a total fangirl (I’ll readily admit it), I sure would have been after that amazing dinner. Both Holly and I got the opportunity to talk to him (I tried to get him to open a Brasa Rotisserie in my suburb) and he was everything I had hoped he would be- talented, gracious, humble, personable and encouraging. AND HE IS THE CREATOR OF THIS SAUCE!!!!
(And Alex, if you are out there, no I am not stalking you, I just really admire your work!)
(This is Alex Roberts leading his team at the amazing Outstanding in the Field Dinner July 2014-taken with my many generations ago iPhone camera!)
So after downing buckets of this Cilantro Lime sauce on everything at Brasa Rotisserie (pulled pork, yuca fries, masa corn cakes, tortilla chips), I was dying to find a recipe so that I could make it at home. Fortuitously, I was reading through a copy of Food and Wine and came across a sauce recipe by Alex Roberts. Was it THE Alex Roberts? Was it THE sauce? Yes! Yes! YES! Alex Roberts was awesome enough to share the recipe for the greatest sauce in the entire world.
So without further ado…here is the recipe for Cilantro Lime Sauce (aka Magic Sauce) courtesy of Alex Roberts, via Food and Wine Magazine. Thank you, thank you, thank you Alex Roberts. You have truly made my life better!
Cilantro Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 large jalapeños ribs and seeds removed
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger minced
- 2 Tablespoons white onion minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
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Place jalapeños, garlic, ginger, onion, lime juice and a splash of the water into the bowl of a food processor or blender.
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Process until smooth.
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Add mayonnaise and cilantro and then pulse until well combined.
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Add remainder of water until you have reached your desired consistency (this is a fairly thin sauce, add less water if you would like it a little thicker).
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Add salt to taste.
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Serve and enjoy
Here is the link to the original Food and Wine recipe.
That looks absolutely amazing! Two of my favorite things. I think I will be using this on almost everything I make without apology.
It is amazing…I have been known to eat it with a spoon.
Nothing beats a great dipping sauce. I know its a good one when I want to eat it like soup….. as Im sure with such powerful flavors going on here I will want to do! We’re having pulled pork sandwiches for dinner tonight, looks like I’ll be making this to go with it!
I will not confirm nor deny whether I have eaten this sauce with a spoon….
Yummmmmm. I love sauces!! This reminds me of a garlic cilantro sauce from a chain called Pollo Tropical. I don’t know if you’d have it in Minneapolis but we have it in the South all over. I cannot wait to try this on chicken or with wings or with fries or with anything haha!
I don’t think we have Pollo Tropical…but it sounds right up my alley!
Just added this to my cilantro lime board on Pinterest. Love this recipe! I featured a chimichurri recipe lately and I’m always looking for new renditions. My only requirement: TONS of GARLIC. Can’t get enough of it. The sauce makes the meal 🙂
Yes! A fellow sauce addict!!
I have beef fajitas planned this week for dinner and I’m thinking this sauce will be magical 😉 on top! Can’t wait to try it!
I’m obsessed with all things cilantro! This sounds delicious and would be perfect for our taco nights!
Ok I NEED to try this! Not only am I a sauce addict as well (lol) but your excitement in this post has made me WANT to try it like yesterday…we are doing up some fish tacos for dinner this week, I know what they will be topped with!
Fellow sauce addicts UNITE!
Cilantro and lime is such a winning combination. This sauce sounds so easy to make and oh so tasty!
Emily
http://darlingdearestblog.com
This looks so delicious and the best part it sounds easy enough for me to actually make. I can’t wait to add that to my list of things to try out. Thank you so much for sharing and for your easy step by step instructions, God knows I always need those.
This one is super simple! For sure you can do it!
This look delicious! I’m pinning it for later. I have so many recipes for this to put on top.
This is such a wonderful post! I absolutely love the look of this sauce & have saved it so that we can try it out! 😀
Glad you liked it!
Ahhhh thanks so much to 2016 you for posting this! I haven’t been to Brass in a few years (which is ridiculous, I live like 10 minutes away) but I went to a wedding they catered this weekend and oh man…I forgot how good this sauce is. Tonight we’re having rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, and…magic sauce for dinner. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Music to my ears! My 2019 self is super happy for you!! YUM-wish I was at your house for dinner!
Sounds like just what I’m looking for. Can’t wait to try this.
I hope you love it!
Thank you for making this recipe so easy to find! We are fellow Brasa green sauce fanatics (like any reasonable person in the Twin Cities) and my 9-yr-old was begging me to figure out how to get it by the bucket-load (as she also eats it with a spoon and is known to consume all of the sauce we get for the entire family meal). I figured that there was no way to even get close to the real recipe, but you have gone to the lengths necessary to assure me that this is the real deal. We’re going to post it on the kitchen wall.