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Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish)
Paper-thin red onion rinsed until mild, tossed with slivers of ají amarillo, lime juice, cilantro and a little oil, the sharp, crunchy relish that goes on the side of half the plates in Peru.
Peruvian · easy · serves 4
prep 15 min · cook 0 min · plus 30 min hands-off time
~67 cal · 1g protein · 9g carbs · 3g fat · 2g fiber · 4g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Salsa criolla is less a sauce than a small salad: red onion sliced very thinly, lengthwise from top to root, then rinsed or soaked in cold water so it keeps its crunch and loses its harsh bite, and dressed with lime juice, salt, a slivered hot ají and chopped cilantro. It should taste acid and salty in equal measure.
In Peru it is set down in small amounts next to all sorts of dishes, to brighten them: with tamales, with fried and grilled meats, with the pork sandwich pan con chicharrón, and with fish. It is made shortly before the meal, so that the lime has half an hour to soften the onion without turning it limp.
Ají amarillo, the yellow-orange Peruvian chili, is the usual pepper, though some cooks use the smaller, hotter ají limo, and some add a splash of vinegar or a little diced sweet pepper.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
- 2 medium red onions
- 1 ají amarillo, seeded and deveined, or 1 ají limo for more heat
- 2 to 3 fresh limes, juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- to taste salt
- a pinch black pepper
Instructions
- 1Peel the onions, halve them from top to root and slice them lengthwise as thinly as you can.
- 2Put the onion in a bowl of iced water with a pinch of salt for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain well and pat dry.✎ Chef’s noteThe cold rinse takes away the raw sting and keeps the onion crisp.
- 3Cut the ají amarillo into very thin strips.
- 4Toss the onion with the ají, lime juice, cilantro, oil, salt and pepper. Taste: it should be sharp and salty in balance.
- 5Leave for about 30 minutes before serving so the lime softens the onion a little. Serve on the side of tamales, grilled or fried meats, sandwiches or fish.
Peruvian criollo tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Lima. The title is conferred rather than self-awarded: the New York Times has called Lima South America's culinary epicentre, and Peru has taken the World Travel Awards' leading culinary destination in the region almost every year since 2012. What is underneath it is a coastal city with cold Pacific fisheries at its door and two immigrant cuisines, chifa and Nikkei, with names of their own.
🗺️
Peru. The Andes are a working farm at altitude. The International Potato Center in Lima counts more than four thousand native potato varieties across the highlands of Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, each selected over generations for a particular soil and frost line, and the same cold that limits what will grow is put to work preserving it as freeze-dried chuno.
🌍
South America. The Andes are the potato's homeland and still hold something like four thousand native varieties, selected over thousands of years for altitude, colour and texture. The high plateau also worked out how to keep them: frozen overnight in the cold, trodden to press the water out, then dried in the sun into chuno, which stores for years.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Peru
Lomo SaltadoBeef flash-fried in a smoking wok with soy, vinegar, tomatoes, and fries, Lima's Chinese-Peruvian icon.
Rocoto RellenoArequipa’s fiery rocoto peppers stuffed with spiced beef, olives, and raisins, capped with melting cheese.
CevicheFresh white fish cured in lime "leche de tigre" with red onion, chili, and cilantro, Peru's national dish.
Browse all Peru recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Stews and braises keep 3 to 4 days refrigerated and often taste better the next day. Reheat gently, adding a splash of water if it has thickened.
Make it a Peru meal
Pisco SourDrink
Suspiro a la LimeñaDessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish)?
Paper-thin red onion rinsed until mild, tossed with slivers of ají amarillo, lime juice, cilantro and a little oil, the sharp, crunchy relish that goes on the side of half the plates in Peru.
Where does Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) come from?
Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) is a Peruvian dish from Lima, Peru.
Can Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Salsa Criolla (Peruvian Red Onion Relish) take to make?
About 45 min in all: 15 minutes prep and 0 minutes cooking, plus 30 min of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 4.
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