Homemade Peruvian Salad Dressing

This easy Homemade Peruvian Salad Dressing recipe features fresh strawberries (fresas frescas), a few common pantry ingredients, a bit of heat from ají amarillo paste, and several sprigs of fresh mint. It’s versatile enough for most salads, but we love it on a simple salad of greens, tomatoes (or tree tomatoes), queso fresco, radishes, and avocado… similar to one we had at Gaston Acurio’s restaurant Chicha in Cuzco.

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – Peruvian Salad Dressing Inspiration

We always look forward to enjoying the restaurants in Peru, especially in Cuzco and Lima. We’ve eaten in Virgilio Martinez’ MIL in The Sacred Valley, and Gaston Acurio’s Chicha in Cuzco. We’ve had amazing ceviche in Lima, but never discount the fresh ceviche de trucha in Cuzco and The Sacred Valley. We had the pleasure of trying North Coast Peruvian cuisine at Pueblo Viejo in Lima; its Chiclayana chef/owner is Dr. Bradley’s aunt by marriage. The food was fantastic!

“Regocijo” loosely translates “rejoicing.” I’m not sure what the connection to the salad might be.🧐 I asked our server about the sausages and bacon, and he claims it was in the dressing. My Spanish is not good enough to argue, but I sure didn’t taste any sausage or bacon in the dressing. I did not pursue including it in my dressing recipe! Lol. The salad dressing is vegan, and while my salad did include queso fresco like the restaurant version, it is optional.

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• strawberries – Fresh strawberries are key in this salad dressing, so no frozen strawberries please! Depending on how ripe your strawberries are, you may or may not need sweetener.
• shallot – Red onion or sweet onion are good substitutes.
• fresh lime juice – The freshest ingredients are what “makes” this dressing, so no bottled lime juice. 😊
• vinegar – Choose a mild vinegar like white wine, sherry, champagne vinegar, etc. I use white wine vinegar.
• olive oil
• sweetener – My strawberries were perfectly ripe and sweet on photo day, so I didn’t use any sweetener. Add the sweetener and salt to taste at the end. I suggest a liquid sweetener like honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar.
• mustard – I like dijon mustard for this vinaigrette, but use your preferred mustard or what you have on hand. It’s only a teaspoon, and not a key ingredient.
• ají amarillo paste – If you can’t find ají amarillo paste locally, you can buy it online or make ají amarillo paste at home.
• fresh mint – The fresh mint is important for the Peruvian flavor, but you will still have a great vinaigrette if you omit it. You could also substitute basil or cilantro.
• fine sea salt

🔪 Instructions

❓ FAQ

💭 Tips

The sweetness of strawberries varies greatly. If you want a sweeter dressing, add honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar to taste.

If you like a more acidic dressing, add more lime juice or vinegar. Conversely, you can reduce the acidity by adding a bit more olive oil.

This Peruvian salad dressing can be used as a template. Simply switch out the fresh fruit. Maracuya (aka passionfruit) works well. I have also substituted preserves (with no added sugar) for the fruit as in this raspberry vinaigrette.

🥗 Pairing Suggestions

Salad Ingredients

• greens – Spinach, baby kale, leaf and butter lettuce are all good options.
• cheese – In Peru, this salad featured queso Andino which is like Mexican queso fresco. That’s my preference. However, mozzarella and feta would be tasty as well.
• veggies – The Chicha salad menu description included chicory, fennel, and bell pepper, but I did not include them on photo day. I love fennel, and I think it would be an amazing addition! Choose your favorites.
• extras – The Chicha salad menu included bacon and sausage. Our server claimed it was puréed in the dressing. I didn’t taste it, and I’m not sure I’d want it. It also included chick peas which would be a welcome addition and boost the flavor. I think adding some cubed cooked chicken would make it a fabulous main dish salad (rotisserie chicken perhaps?).

To Pair with the Salad and Dressing

• Peruvian roasted chicken
• Latin mango chicken
• Peruvian chicken and rice
• ají de gallina
• Peruvian baked cod with huancaina sauce

The regocijo salad was followed by Don Johan Hatching Eggs (no clue on the translation!) – a bit like eggs benedict, with potato brioche, white asparagus, smoked trout, huacatay and hollandaise sauce. The creamy corn polenta with tender lamb braised in red wine and garnished with turnip and pickled radish was fantastic. The dessert might be the best I’ve ever had – Quillabamba’s chocolate souffle with muña (Andean mint) ice cream!

Sorry for chasing rabbits! I’m looking forward to the weeks and months ahead and continuing to work on bringing Peruvian flavors to home cooks outside of Peru. Please feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment box below…

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