Take Hot Dogs Beyond Ketchup And Mustard With This Spicy Green Sauce

Ketchup, mustard, relish, mayonnaise — if you eat hot dogs (or veggie dogs), chances are, one of these condiments is your go-to. But unless you're going for a super spicy mustard or a garlic-forward pickle relish, none of these choices offer a particularly punchy flavor. If you're looking for a way to give your next batch of hot dogs a zesty kick, look no further than salsa verde, the iconic Mexican sauce that features tomatillos, onions, garlic, chiles, and cilantro.

Salsa verde — which translates to "green sauce" — is used in a variety of Mexican dishes from enchiladas to tamales to pozole verde soup. However, it's quite versatile and can be used to elevate a number of other dishes beyond these staples, including hot dogs. In fact, one of the most unique hot dog variations out there comes from Chile. The completo dinámico hot dog is quite customizable, and it often features toppings like sauerkraut, sautéed onions, avocado, and Chilean salsa verde.

This variation is made with onion, parsley, oil, and white wine vinegar or lemon juice, so if you're averse to spicy foods, Chile's version might be the way to go. However, we're partial to Mexico's slightly spicier salsa verde. That tangy, spicy flavor cuts through the savory and fatty nature of hot dogs, giving a basic barbecue dish a little extra flair.

If you add Mexican salsa verde to your next hot dog and don't love the addition of spice, never fear. Just like Chile and its more mild version of the iconic green sauce, other countries have their own variations, too. Italy, for instance, has its own green sauce, and it's one you should know about before grilling up your next hot dog. The Italian version is made up of parsley, garlic, capers, and anchovies, which give the sauce a slightly more pungent and briny flavor.

If capers and anchovies on your hot dog aren't calling your name, though, give this easy chimichurri recipe a try. Argentina's most famous green sauce is often used as a topping for other grilled meats, so why not add it to your hot dog? Made up of parsley, oregano, garlic, chiles, red wine vinegar, and olive oil, it's typically less spicy than salsa verde, so if you can handle a little bit of heat, this is a good option.

However, if you can't get enough of that tomatillo flavor and want to stick to the traditional Mexican salsa verde ingredients without the spice, just make the sauce from scratch. It's easy to make, and this way, you can add fewer chiles — or eliminate them completely — to make the sauce a more mild and better fit for your ideal hot dog.