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| Green Serrano Salsa with Braised Fresh Sausages |
This dish brings together two straightforward elements: braised fresh sausages and a clean, vegetable-forward green serrano salsa. The combination works because of the contrast - a savoury base topped with a Mexican-style green grassy sauce that adds heat, freshness, and moderate heat from the chili. It’s simple cooking that delivers good flavour without requiring long preparation or slow‑cooking.
The braise forms the base of the dish. Fresh sausages brown well and release flavour into the cooking liquid, creating a tender, savoury result. It’s a practical method for busy evenings, as the sausages need little attention once they’re frying. One could equally use meatballs instead of sausages, just choose what's best for you.
Note I cook with plain supermarket brand tomatoes a lot because they're practical and super economical. Fresh tomatillos are virtually unheard of in New Zealand and generally expensive canned imports when you can find them at all. Fresh tomatoes are pricey even in season vs around NZD$1 for canned (about USD .55c or GBP .45p). I also like that the canned supermarket brands usually have no added salt or sugar which means I can keep control of those hidden additives and add only the amounts I want. Even though I grow my own tomatoes and am attempting tomatillos for the first time this coming New Zealand summer season, or seasons are short and unpredictable, and it's not feasible for me to grow enough to last the whole year.
I also grow peppers and love jalapeño, serrano, bell and Japanese. Again, not feasible to grow enough for year-round but I do get a good crop and froze some Japanese Chili from last year's crop which mostly saw me through the winter. Serrano peppers offer a bright, crisp, almost grassy heat, and when blended with herbs, aromatics, the result is a sauce that lifts the simplicity of humble sausages to something quite spectacular. They add freshness and balance without overwhelming the dish.
The finished combination is versatile. You can serve the sausages and salsa with warm tortillas, spoon over rice, or pair them with crusty bread to make use of the cooking juices. The recipe scales easily, making it suitable for both weeknight meals and feeding a few people.
You can watch my short cooking tutorial below:
Ingredients
- 6-8 good sized fresh sausages (I used wild Venison, but beef, lamb or pork will also work well)
- Glug of olive oil to fry
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 stick celery, chopped
- 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- Pinch all spice or mixed spice
- 1 tsp sugar
- Ground sea salt and black pepper
- 2 green serrano chili, de-seeded and chopped
- 1 800gm can tomatillos, drained and liquid reserved, chopped OR 1 400gm can plain chopped tomatoes (cheapest) + 1/2 can water + a large bunch of spinach, silver beet or bok choy stems removed and chopped
Method
Sauté the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic over medium heat with a glug of olive oil until softened. Add the spices and tomatillos (or the tomato, water, and greens mixture if using that variation). Remove everything from the pan and set aside to cool.
Add another glug of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausages well on all sides. Remove and slice them cross/lengthwise (French‑style).
Place the cooled vegetables in a blender with the serrano chilli and blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, loosen it with a little water or some of the tomatillo brine.
Return the sliced sausages to the pan and pour in the blended vegetables. Season with the sugar to balance and bring out the flavours, salt and pepper. Warm through gently until everything is heated and combined.
Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with plain cooked rice.
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