In today’s recipe, I am going to show you how to make tasty yuca fries with a special garlic tomato salsa sauce. Yuca, also known as cassava and manioc, is a starchy root vegetable popular in South American, African and Asian kitchens. I have a more comprehensive post on yuca as an ingredient and how to use it. This recipe is paleo, gluten-free, Whole30 and vegan-friendly.

The idea for this yuca fries recipe came from a popular Spanish breakfast meal of crusty toasted bread and a mixture of grated tomato, garlic, olive oil and salt, that is rubbed on top. Sometimes this dish is referred to as Catalan tomato bread, although it’s eaten throughout Spain.

I love that combination of starchy and crispy warm food with the spicy, zesty, fresh tomato sauce that’s a little bit like mayo-free aioli or a salsa. The moisture of the sauce goes really well with these baked fries.

HOW TO MAKE YUCA FRIES

The yuca root varies in size but is generally long and narrow with tough brown skin and dense, creamy white flesh, a little similar in texture to celeriac and yams. It has a very mild flavour and is quite starchy in texture when cooked. It’s drier than a white or sweet potato, or other root vegetables, so it likes to be served with wet condiments and sauces.

Make sure to peel away the brown skin. Simply slice the root into thick chips and toss with some olive oil and spices. I love roasting or baking yuca fries as it’s much healthier and cleaner than deep-frying. They will take about 25 minutes at 200 C/400 F.

PS. Yuca root, or cassava, can be purchased from quality greengrocers or from Asian, African or South American produce focused stores.

FRESH TOMATO & Garlic SALSA

While our baked yuca fries are underway, let’s make a little sauce to dip them in. As I mentioned before, yuca root is quite a dry, dense starchy vegetable and it loves sauces and dips. I particularly like the contrast of hot fries with cold, fresh, zesty salsa.

The inspiration for this fresh salsa sauce comes from the tomato rub you get on the bread in Spain. The tomato is grated fresh and combined with olive oil, salt and sometimes garlic. You can omit the garlic if you like but I think it gives it a nice aioli twist.

Speaking of aioli, you can mix mayonnaise with a little garlic and Sriracha for another fabulous sauce or serve these fries with any other fresh salsa, chimichurri or just a little mayo or ketchup.

Serve these fries as a snack, appetizer or as a side dish to any meat or fish dish. You could use leftovers with eggs in the morning.

Try This Next Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe

MORE TASTY VEGETABLE DISHES

Baked Sweet Potato With Miso Butter

Cavolo Nero & Sweet Corn Fritters

Spiced Roasted Parsnips

Roasted Beets With Shallot & Mustard Vinaigrette

Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Spiced Cauliflower Sweet Potato Mash

Description

Starchy and delicious, these grain-free, paleo and vegan-friendly baked yuca fries are served with fresh tomato and garlic salsa inspired by the Catalan tomato bread dish.

For tomato garlic salsa sauce

1. Preheat oven to 200 °C/400 °F.
2. Drizzle yuca strips with olive oil and sift through the spices and salt. Toss through and coat evenly with your hands. Scatter on a baking tray, greased with a little coconut oil (you can use a piece of baking paper as well), making sure not to overcrowd. Place in the oven for 25 minutes.
3. To prepare the sauce, grate the whole tomato into a bowl and discard the leftover skin. Grate and add the garlic, olive oil, salt and vinegar. Mix through and set aside.
4. Serve the fries with sauce on the side. Dip before each bite.

Notes

Regular sweet or white potato baked fries will go well with this sauce as well. You can also make a larger batch of the sauce and use it as a condiment with other dishes.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 100 g fries + 2 tbsp sauce
• Calories: 337
• Sugar: 3.4 g
• Sodium: 793.7 mg
• Fat: 18.8 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 41.7 g
• Fiber: 2.8 g
• Protein: 2.1 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

SAVE THIS YUCA FRIES RECIPE TO PINTEREST

Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

This creamy basil sauce is going on EV-ER-Y-THING in my life: sandwiches, eggs, grilled chicken and veggies, dipped with chips?! It’s so good, packed with green goodness, it’s beautifully summery, and I’m doing the most with it.

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In This Post:

The main thing:

Other stuff:

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How To Make This Basil Sauce

Step 1: Get All Your Ingredients Ready

You can use a blender, food processor, or a mini-chopper-type gadget. I love this mini-chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it all the time because it’s super compact.

Step 2: Blend Your Basil Sauce

That’s it! Just blend, taste, and adjust!

This sauce can be a bit chunky / textured, so keep it going until it has the consistency you want. I prefer something right before completely pureed – where it has just barely noticeable flecks of herbs, but it’s mostly smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Put It On All Your Yummy Things

Like so. (Here’s that recipe.)

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Lindsay’s Notes

Ooh baby. Basil, chives, garlic, and a tiny hit of oregano all in a creamy, salty, bright green sauce – I love this so much.

The first time I made this, my toddler (who mostly just eats crackers) found a spatula and just sat at the counter licking the remnants of the sauce out of the blender with me. And I hear that from a lot of people – many kids seem to be very into this for unknown reasons. Sometimes it just hits right, ya know? A+ for that experience.

My favorite thing about this sauce, besides that it tastes like heaven, is that makes healthy-ish eating something I really, actually look forward to.

Baked salmon goes up about 100 notches in my book when smothered in this creamy green sauce. Same goes for shrimp, chicken, and a big fresh salad or lots of roasted veggies.

This will not be the last we see of this sauce, which is why I decided to give it its own post on POY. Welcome home, little basil sauce.

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Things You Could Put It On

The possibilities! They are endless.

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Popular Recipe Mexican Salad With Black Beans, Corn & Avocado

Description

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

1. Place all your sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. (I use this mini chopper for the vast majority of my sauces because it’s nice and compact!)
2. Blend until you get your desired consistency – I usually go for an almost-completely-smooth texture that is flecked with small bits of herbs.

Notes

Taste and adjust! More lemon juice will wake it up, Parmesan adds more umami and saltiness, and if it gets too salty for you, add a bit more mayo to dilute the pungency a bit!

Keywords: basil sauce, basil dressing

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Frequently Asked Questions For Basil Sauce

What can I use instead of mayo?

I’ve seen some people on Instagram say they used Greek yogurt and liked it. I haven’t made it this way and I know I wouldn’t like it with Greek yogurt because it’s so tangy and has a different flavor. BUT, if you’re okay with it being a bit different than the original, I think Greek yogurt could work!

I have an egg allergy – what can I use?

Vegan mayo has no eggs and tastes great! That’s what I’d use!

How long does the basil sauce last?

I usually keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Can you make this vegetarian / vegan?

Yes! Use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan! If you can’t find vegan Parmesan, just throw in a bit of extra salt to compensate for the change in flavor. And if you don’t want to use vegan mayo, try using an avocado like we did in this avocado mojo sauce.

Can you freeze this basil sauce?

I would not recommend freezing this.

More Of My Favorite Sauce Recipes