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Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Hatch Green Chile Sauce Recipe

I first made this hatch green chili sauce after a friend handed me a bag of fire-roasted chiles straight from a roadside roaster, and I honestly didn't know what to do with all of them. I blended a batch together with onion, garlic, lime and a little honey, and it turned into the smoky, tangy sauce I now keep in my fridge at all times.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fire-roasted hatch green chiles stemmed and seeded – the star of the sauce, so use good quality roasted chiles for the best smoky flavor
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil – softens the onion and garlic without adding a heavy taste
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped – sweeten this in the skillet first, don't add it raw or it will overpower the sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic minced – fresh garlic makes a real difference here, skip the jarred kind if you can
  • ½ cup cilantro stems and leaves, roughly chopped – adds a fresh, herby lift that balances the smoky chiles
  • 1 lime zested and juiced – use fresh lime, not bottled juice, for the brightest flavor
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar – gives the sauce its tang and helps it keep longer
  • ¼ cup honey – tames the heat so cut back slightly if your chiles are on the mild side
  • 1 teaspoon salt – always taste and adjust at the end since chiles vary in saltiness

Method
 

  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic during the last minute and cook just until it smells fragrant, taking care not to let either one brown.
  2. Transfer the softened onion and garlic straight into a food processor. Add the fire-roasted hatch chiles and pulse eight to ten times until everything forms a rough, thick paste. I don't fully puree it at this stage, since it blends smoother once the wet ingredients go in.
  3. Add the chopped cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, cider vinegar, honey and salt to the food processor. Puree everything until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. This is where the sauce really comes together into that glossy, pourable texture.
  4. Give the sauce a taste before you call it finished, since hatch chiles can range from mild to seriously spicy. If it needs more brightness, add a touch more lime juice; if it tastes too sharp, a little extra honey mellows it right out.
  5. If you'd like a thinner, more pourable sauce, add a tablespoon or two of hot water and pulse again to combine. I do this when I'm using the sauce as a marinade or drizzling it over eggs, since a looser consistency spreads more easily.
  6. Transfer the finished sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate it until you're ready to use it. It's ready to eat right away, but I think the flavors settle in nicely after an hour or two in the fridge.

Notes

  • I always taste my chiles before blending, since the heat level swings wildly and I'd rather adjust the honey early than fix it later
  • I roast a big batch of onions and garlic ahead of time when I know I'll be making this sauce often that week
  • I never skip the lime zest, since it adds a brightness that plain lime juice alone can't give
  • I let the sauce sit for at least thirty minutes before serving, because the flavors blend together so much better once it rests
  • I keep a small jar of hot water nearby while blending in case I need to loosen the texture