Virginia White Sauce (Salsa)
A Norfolk city favorite, this Virginia White Sauce is a thick and creamy sauce that became a popular dip at a favorite local Mexican restaurant!
A LOCAL RECIPE FOR WHITE SALSA
Virginia White Sauce (or White Salsa) is a regional condiment very specific to the Tidewater area of Virginia – more specifically in Norfolk (my hometown). It was created by a local Mexican restaurant owner (Willie Jenkins at El Toro) who was looking to create a salad dressing for his guests. This is the recipe he came up with; however, guests started using it to dip their tortilla chips in and the rest is history! I am sharing his original recipe below. It can be tailored to your tastes (most people like to thin it out a bit.)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
I wanted to keep with the original recipe that was given and it is pretty thick. All you have to do is add a splash of milk and whisk. Keep adding the milk little by little until you get the consistency you enjoy.
I’ll be honest, I am not a fan of Miracle Whip but it really does work with this recipe. The little extra tang from the Miracle Whip adds to the other flavors. If you want to stay true to the original recipe, you must use Miracle Whip. However, you can use mayonnaise if you insist. I would use Duke’s mayonnaise if you can find it since it has more of the tang to it similar to that of Miracle Whip.
As I said above, it’s intended use was for a salad dressing. So, you could certainly use it on salads. Also as dip for tortilla chips and even a dip for fresh veggies! You could also thin in out with a bit of milk (to make it more of a drizzle) and use it on your favorite pulled pork or chicken.
Personally, I am a huge fan of heavy garlic flavors. You could substitute the garlic powder with a teaspoon of minced garlic.
It does have a mild kick to it. If you are adverse to spice, you can leave out the crushed red peppers or perhaps cut it in half.
Leftovers should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 8 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- dried oregano
- garlic powder
- ground cumin
- crushed red pepper
- milk
- Miracle Whip
HOW TO MAKE VIRGINIA WHITE SAUCE (SALSA):
In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the spices.
Then whisk in the milk until combined.
Finally, whisk in the Miracle Whip.
Cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. This is very important to give the flavors time to marry together. It won’t taste the same if you don’t give it time to chill.
Serve with tortilla chips!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Virginia White Sauce (Salsa)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 1/2 cup milk (more if you like it thinner)
- 2 cups Miracle Whip (see notes below for substitutions)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the spices.
- Then whisk in the milk until combined.
- Finally, whisk in the Miracle Whip.
- Cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator for at least 48 hours. This is very important to give the flavors time to marry together. It won’t taste the same if you don’t give it time to chill.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic can be used instead of garlic powder if you enjoy a garlic “kick”.
- Miracle Whip is part of the original recipe and keeps it authentic. Mayonnaise can be substituted but Duke’s mayonnaise is my recommended brand.
- This original recipe makes a thicker sauce. To thin it out, add a little milk at a time until it reaches your desired thickness.
- This sauce gets better if it has plenty of time to “marinate.” It really does seem to get better the longer it sits. The original recipe calls for 48 hours but I would recommend you at least try to give it overnight in the refrigerator at a minimum.
- If you don’t like any spice, leave out the red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Is this actually Willie’s original recipe or a copycat recipe. As far as I can find, it’s not printed anywhere…only copycats.
Click on the link above for The Virginia Pilot article. Also, test it out – that’s the best way to know and you can tell me what you think. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m from Richmond and didn’t realize this was a Virginia thing until trying to find a recipe online. White sauce is always something we look forward to when going out to Mexican, so I can’t wait to make this at home 🙂
I hope you love it! You can definitely play a bit with the flavors (if you like it spicier, etc.) and make it as thick or as thin as you like. This is the actual original recipe from the creator. I find a lot of restaurants thin it out a bit but it’s very easy to tailor to your preference 🙂