Mexican White Sauce

Posted on January 30, 2011 by licious74

Since Superbowl is upon us, the theme of this post is DIP. I’m not talking about tobacco dip – that is just down right nasty!

A dip I have wanted to try for some time is my favorite thing to eat at Mexican restaurants in Virginia. It is the white salsa or as I like to call it salsa blanca Mexicana, thank you three years of Spanish!

It is usually served along side your regular red salsa and chips and I loves it! I like to actually mix the red with the white – which makes this little piggy wee wee in pleasure! It is kick your shoes off in a fit of glee good!

You can usually find this sauce in the Mid Atlantic/Southern states’ Mexican restaurants. It is what you would consider to be Mexican American cuisine, heavy on the American from what I understand when I read about the differences of Mexican restaurants found on the west coast and east coast.

Deciding a few years ago that I wanted to make this salsa blanca Mexicana for myself. Notice I said a few years ago … I googled and nada yet I did not give up hope.

I tried again after a few months and I finally hit jackpot. Some of the concoctions sound down right scary so they were quickly vetoed.

Jackpot #1 was a discussion forum on davesgarden.com and Jackpot #2 was found on allrecipes.com.

The latter recipe was bleck! It sounded like what possibly could be in the sauce I had eaten but I would be wrong. I let the concoction sit for days in hopes that the flavors would meld together and it never happened, it was AWE-ful.

I decided to give the recipe I had located on Dave’s Garden forum a go. Plus, it would be perfect for my dip theme!

The recipe was a winner even though I still don’t believe this is exactly what I eat at the Mexican restaurants in town and my guineas agreed. I wonder if I call my local Mexican restaurant would they share the recipe with me? Hmm.

This sauce/salsa/dip is sweet with undertones of heat thanks to the red pepper and cayenne. The Mexican sour cream and vinegar adds a nice acidity to the mix. It’s a great accompaniment to the usual salsa and chips.

Until Next Time,
Jennifer

Mexican White Sauce

Recipe from cgclemons from davesgarden.com

Ingredients

1 Cup Mexican Sour Cream (I used Cacique Crema Mexicana Agria Grade A Sour Cream)

¼ Cup ketchup

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 ½ Teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes (try to avoid the seeds)

¼ Teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar

Milk or Buttermilk to thin

Directions

In a medium size bowl combine sour cream, ketchup, vinegar, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and sugar – mix well. Add milk accordingly, you want it to the consistency of salad dressing (runny – for lack of a better term). Refrigerate for at least 24 hours to allow the ingredients to incorporate.

Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Can’t locate Mexican Sour Cream in your grocery store? Try making it! Fine Cooking’s Mexican Sour Cream

32 Comments

Posted in Appetizer, Mexican, Salsa and tagged appetizer, mexican, party, salsa, sour cream, superbowl. Bookmark the permalink.

32 responses »

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Joanne | February 1, 2011 at 9:46 am

How have I never heard of white salsa before?!?!? this sounds fantastic!
- licious74 | March 6, 2011 at 7:44 pm
  
  It’s a common occurrence here in Virginia and I am oh so thankful for that – I love mixing the red with the white EXTRA TASTINESS! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
  - Launi Bush | April 3, 2014 at 10:07 am
    
    The one we used to get in a restaurant off of Witchduck Road in Virginia Beach was 2 c. miracle whip, 1/2 – 3/4 c. milk, 1 t. crushed red pepper flakes, 1 1/2 t. dried oregano, 1 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1 heaping tablespoon of cumin. You have to make it the day before and allow it to set in the fridge overnight to meld the flavors! I got this one from my friend who worked at one of the restaurants. We used to go there for lunch just for the tortilla chips and white sauce!
  - licious74 | May 1, 2014 at 11:56 pm
    
    Thanks for sharing and taking the time to comment! I have picked up some Miracle whip in prep to re-make the recipe the correct way. I will be blogging about it on , I moved my blog to a self hosted site.
- Eddy | August 21, 2013 at 10:56 pm
  
  I love it, the first time I tried it was at Plaza Azteca in Norfolk. It was great to snack on with a beer. I tried to make some today from a recipe I found on food.com, miracle whip based, it wasn’t what I expected so I upped the sour cream and found something close to a sweet spot. I will try this recipe next, maybe with a little bit of miracle whip, keep in mind if you make it with miracle whip the more you use the worse it will taste but I will acknowledge that it is a key ingredient.
hellosweetworld | February 9, 2011 at 11:05 pm

I loooooove this white salsa and became addicted to it in college when i ate at the local mexican restaurant about twice a week. Im from Virginia and now live in the midwest where i can’t find it anywhere! I did, however, manage to befriend a guy who worked at the restaurant back home and he told me it was miracle whip based. I tried making a version of my own with miracle whip, water, chopped jalapenos and some other spices. It was comparable but will never be what it is in the actual restaurants. So, maybe try some watered-down miracle whip and spices and then see if it’s a little closer to what you’ve had.
- licious74 | March 6, 2011 at 7:47 pm
  
  Thanks for those tips! I thought it was a Miracle Whip base however a recipe I found that used Miracle Whip and it was awful. I plan to keep playing with it until I can make an actual duplicate. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
SqueakMaan | October 22, 2011 at 4:38 pm

I tried this recipe. Didn’t turn out too bad. But it didn’t look at all like the photo. It was way too reddish. Thanks for posting the recipe though.
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:08 am
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment. I need to go back and try revising this since I was simply testing out a recipe that a kind soul decided to post in a forum.
Ross M | February 22, 2012 at 1:11 am

Yeah, the ketchup seems really weird to me. I just found these two links that look more convincing than any others I’ve seen: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Mexican-White-Sauce/ and http://www.bakespace.com/recipes/detail/Seasoned-Crema-Fresca/5603/

I will try them first chance I get.

And what is it about this white salsa (that’s what I call it) being only in Virginia. I’m from northern Virginia and never had it there. I never discovered it until I lived in Fredericksburg, and then had it in another restaurant in Richmond. What a strange food finding. So weird that a) No one seems to have had it anywhere else, b) no one can really find a reliable recipe that I can tell, and c) no one actually knows what the stuff is called!
- Shari | September 5, 2012 at 6:12 pm
  
  so true!!
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:10 am
  
  Thanks Ross! I am planning to revisit this dip to see if I can take the comments from this post and re-tweak the original recipe. It is strange that you can’t find it anywhere. I did find a youtube video in my recent searches for the correct recipe. I can’t wait to give it a try!
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Rachael Salyards | May 29, 2012 at 6:14 pm

The restaurant near me calls it Casa Grande Salsa (Casa Grande is, of course, the name of the restaurant.) I have been trying to nail this down for some years now. The Mexican sour cream is definitely the way to go. I did add some garlic powder, and my guests said it is the closest variation yet. I think next time I will go without the ketchup. Casa Grande Salsa is not pink at all, and less sweet. I think we may have a winner!
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:11 am
  
  Awesome, Rachael! As they say a recipe is just a guideline and you have to make it yours. 🙂
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Kirstie | June 19, 2012 at 11:07 am

I have had this only in Va. as well in the Hampton Roads Area.
- licious74 | July 17, 2012 at 10:16 am
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment. I heard that some places in the mid-west offers the “white sauce”, too.
Shari | September 5, 2012 at 6:11 pm

I too have searched for this recipe for years glad to see this version surprised to see the ketchup? Once we were told by a mexican restaurant owner in Chesapeake that they used “salad dressing from Norfolk” haha we finally figured out it was like JFG Salad dressing in the mayo section at the grocery store…..i purchased that but didn’t get any further…I look forward to trying this we definitely notice the flavor varies at the restaurants depending on who makes it!! Thanks!
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:13 am
  
  I was surprised by the ketchup but the sauce I have tried in my area had a hint of sweetness so I went with it. I plan to play around with this recipe again in the future and take the suggestions offered.
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Judith Henshaw | September 13, 2012 at 6:53 pm

MAYBE the right ingredients. . . DEFINITELY not with these proportions. . . next time I might try replacing the catsup with miracle whip.
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:14 am
  
  I will definitely give that a go. I plan to perfect this recipe in the near future.
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Adam | October 9, 2012 at 10:58 pm

Makes a decent dip but the proportions are WAY off, yields something much more akin to thousand island dressing.
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:15 am
  
  Hmmm.
  
  It was a better dip when I added salsa to it but that is just my personal preference. I am not finished with this particular dip yet. Once I master, I shall repost.
  - Meg Magee (@MMagee2) | April 28, 2013 at 1:45 am
    
    I moved away from Hampton Roads area five years ago and I try to get this recipe out of the guys every time I go back. They are so tight lipped about it. Who ever gets this recipe please let me have it so I can pass it to my restaurant here in SC. I miss my sauce.
Amy | January 1, 2013 at 6:12 pm

Most Mexican Restaurants in West Texas serve it. I have also found a couple places in the North Houston area.
- licious74 | January 30, 2013 at 11:16 am
  
  Oh cool … perhaps white salsa is spreading. 🙂
  
  Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Meg Magee (@MMagee2) | April 28, 2013 at 3:14 am

Here is what I have: White Sauce

1 c. JFG Salad dressing
1/2 c. Milk
1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp. sour cream (Cacique Crema Mexicana Agria Grade A Sour Cream)

Mix all ingredients together and chill for at least 3 hours.
- Claire | August 21, 2013 at 9:47 am
  
  im a Va Beach native living in Cleveland ~ No such thing here either. Was missing it and craving it horribly. Was lucky enough to stumble on a recipe from a former employee of Mia Casitas and she posted the actual recipe. Tried it and yep pay dirt! Lost the recipe but Meg Magee, yours is the closest I can remember to what she posted. I think I used fresh oregano and that makes a huge difference.
Robb | October 30, 2013 at 1:49 pm

Used to live in Chesterfield, several Mexican places had this kind of dip. Been trying to buy the recipe for years. Live in Ohio now and when I ask about it they give me strange looks.
- licious74 | May 1, 2014 at 11:59 pm
  
  Yeah, I think it must be a Virginia thing and even now you can’t find it. I reside in Chesterfield and it seems to have vanished. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Erin | February 22, 2014 at 5:59 pm

I’m in SWVA and this is my favorite at the Mexican restaurants, especially the ones with the salsa bars. I had a recipe that was really close, but I’ve lost it. I think it was the fresh herbs that really made it work. Thanks for sharing 🙂
- licious74 | May 1, 2014 at 11:58 pm
  
  Boo! I hope all the comments with their tips and recipes help recreate the lost recipe. Thanks for taking the time to comment.