Brazilian Vinaigrette Salsa

If you’ve ever been to a Brazilian restaurant, you know that our “vinagrete”, or Brazilian Vinaigrette Salsa, is a must! Traditionally served with feijoada or with any grilled meat, chicken or fish.

Aaaaand I’m finally back in NYC from a very intense week in Salt Lake City. I flew to that beautiful (and dry! Oy!) city for the Everything Food Conference, where not only I learned a lot but made lots of new amazing food blogger friends! 

However, fatigue got the best of me and I got sick the day I was flying back home and am still recovering from that. ???

I guess that’s what happens when you decide to make friends with party animals who want to go out drinking after a long and busy day, even though they’ve been awake since 6am. Shadi and Andrea, I’m looking at you! ?

Good thing I’m almost 100%, right on time for Memorial Day weekend festivities! Which brings me to the subject: Memorial Day food. 

Memorial Day is considered by many the unofficial start of summer and it’s one of the three most popular days for grilling out. So I figured some of you might be looking for different recipes to try this year, which inspired me to share this Brazilian Vinaigrette Salsa.

If you’re looking for a spicy salsa, this recipe is not for you! 

The “carioca” (meaning: from Rio de Janeiro) version of Pico de Gallo is very mild and has green and red bell peppers instead of jalapeños. The paulista (from São Paulo) version is even milder, without any peppers at all!

And while the Mexicans use lime juice to bind it all together, we use olive oil and vinegar, hence why we call it “vinagrete”.

Brazilian Vinaigrette Salsa makes a great accompaniment for grilled meat, chicken or fish and is a must at any barbecue or steakhouse in Brazil. It is also traditionally served with feijoada, or black bean stew, which is our national dish!

I can go through a whole bowl by myself, just with some pão francês (our small french rolls) even before lunch or dinner is served. Oh yes, it is very addictive, so try to stay away from the table until food is served, or there won’t be any vinagrete to go with your meal!

If you’re looking for something new to try this summer, I highly recommend our vinaigrette salsa. It is not only deliciously fresh but super simple to make!

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 tomatoes, diced
• 1 green or red bell pepper, diced (optional)
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• nstructions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
  2. Season with salt and pepper and serve.
  Notes

  1) The vinaigrette tastes even better if you let it rest at room temperature (or in the fridge) for about 30 minutes to one hour!
  2) Brazilians usually make vinaigrette salsa with yellow onions, but you can substitute to your favorite kind of onion here.