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Salsas, Dips and Tortilla Chips for Cinco de Mayo

salsa verde tomatillos

Salsa goes with just about todo. And what better time to whip up a batch or dos of traditional salsa verde, pico de gallo, guacamole and tortilla chips than Cinco De Mayo, a special day to salute our national Mexican heritage and nuestro vecino to the south? Or learn how to make these dishes authentically, like Mexican abuelas do?

Cinco de Mayo is so much more than 2-for-1 tequila drink specials (although a margarita does pair wonderfully with salsa, chips and everyone’s favorite green food: guacamole). As Familia Kitchen contributing editor Karina Corona points out in her History of Cinco de Mayo: What Is It, Who Celebrates It—and Why?, this day of honoring our southern neighbor seems to have started in California when the news arrived (a few weeks late) of Mexico’s victory at the Battle at Puebla in 1862. The spirit of Cinco de Mayo continued to grow throughout the States over the decades, especially during the civil rights movement in the late 1950s led by black and brown folks.

Today, its legacy endures. Cinco has evolved into an annual celebration—mainly in the U.S.—of all things Mexico, and traditional comidas and bebidas are the star of the show.

We invite you to spend the day with your friends and family, honoring what you admire about Mexico. And, of course, it’s also a great día to elevate your cooking to the next level con these recetas. ¡Féliz Cinco de Mayo!

3 Sensational Salsas for Your Fiesta

Enjoy our selection of salsas—brought to us by cocineras y cocineros in the Familia Kitchen community. Choose your favorite (or make all three!) and get ready to serve up a traditional feast your friends and family will love this Cinco de Mayo.

Anjie’s Salsa Verde With 2 Types of Chiles

salsa verde
Anjie’s Salsa Verde can be tweaked by mixing and matching different chiles.

Anjie Villalobos, one of our go-to (and youngest) abuela cocineras, shares her own family recipe for un delicioso dipping and cooking sauce: salsa verde with two types of chiles. Anjie roasts tomatillos and a combo of jalapeños and/or serrano chiles for this fragrant verde sauce. The bright, velvety flavor of this salsa will add a welcome touch of heat to your platos favoritos.

>> Ready to Make Anj’s Salsa Verde?

Bex’s Pico de Gallo and Guacamole

Pico de Gallo
In her two-for-one recipe, Bex suggests grinding cumin in your pilón before mixing it into the guacamole.

Bex Streeper’s recipe for pico de gallo and guacamole is a doble-por-uno treat she loves to make for her familia. After moving to Central Iowa in 2005 and being disappointed by the lack of authentic Latinx restaurants, Bex took matters into her own hands and makes her own comida with traditional dishes from: Mexico and Puerto Rico as a way to connect with her husband’s and her own heritage. In this tasty dish, Bex uses two types of tomatoes: roma and cherry for maximum sabor.

>>Ready to Make Bex’s Guacamole and Pico de Gallo?

Michelle’s Almost Pico de Gallo

This Pico de Gallo is super flavorful and perfect for any time of the day.

Familia Kitchen go-to cocinera Michelle Ezratty Murphy shares her pico de gallo recipe that “makes everything better.” Michelle says this is a recipe she loves to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner—and you will too! To make her pico de gallo the super-traditional way, add ½ medium jalapeño with half the seeds if you like comida picante (and no seeds if you don’t). We’ll take with-seeds, por favor.

>> Ready to whip up Michelle’s Almost Pico de Gallo?

MariCarmen’s Totopos (Because These Dips Need Chips!)

MariCarmen promises that making these totopos from scratch will be worth the effort.

Totopos—or homemade tortilla chips—are easy and inexpensive to make and perfect for salsas. Another Familia Kitchen favorite cocinera, MariCarmen Ortíz Conway shares her recipe, which is muy simple, she promises. Take corn tortillas and fry them until the first side turns golden-brown. Flip them. The end. Fácil, right? And delicious. Homemade tortilla chips will make your Cinco de Mayo spread that much more authentic.

>> Ready to Make Homemade Totopos?

Now you are all set with salsa! What else will you serve? To create a show-stopping Cinco de Mayo feast, check out our other recipes for Cinco de Mayo.

Our Familia Kitchen Guide to Cinco de Mayo expands on the history of this holiday and why it has become increasngly importante for Mexican-Americans and all of us. Plus, of course, our guide includes 18-and-counting family-favorite recipes for the holiday that we will continue updating every year!

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