Also known as pepían or mole verde, this sauce starts off bright green but mellows to a less neon hue as it cooks. Whereas most moles are thickened with sesame seeds or almonds, this one—as the name suggests—is thickened with a paste of toasted, ground pumpkin seeds. Everything dark in most moles is light and green in this one. Green pumpkin seeds combine with fresh green chiles, fresh green herbs, and fresh green vegetables for an appealingly bright flavor that’s welcome in the winter months.

Pumpkin seeds—pepitas in Spanish—are widely sold roasted and salted as snack food. But raw seeds are key to getting the right flavor for this sauce. If you can’t find them locally, order from Nuts.com. Many traditional Oaxacan recipes call for toasting them in lard. But only constant vigilance and a quick hand with a skimmer will avoid over-roasting, which makes the sauce bitter. It’s easier to toast the seeds with constant stirring in a dry cast iron pan. Just be sure to turn them out onto a plate to cool as soon as some turn lightly golden and most have popped.

We grow and can our own tomatillos, partly so we can make this sauce over the winter. Commercially canned tomatillos are a less tasty substitute but will work. Be sure to drain off the highly acidic canning liquid. If you can find fresh tomatillos, remove the husks and boil for about three minutes before puréeing and straining.

This recipe indulges in the convenience of ground spices, but feel free to use whole spices and toast and grind them yourself. If so, you should trim back the measurements so the flavors aren’t overpowering.

PUMPKIN SEED MOLE WITH SALMON

Our version of pepían has been adapted from a variety of sources, most of which ultimately trace back to one of Rick Bayless’s cookbooks or Mayo Antonio Sanchez’s Cocina Mexicana. Salmon is not a traditional fish in Mexican cooking, but it’s widely available and looks (and tastes) great with the sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup hulled, raw pumpkin seeds
2 cups chicken stock, divided
2 1/2 cups simmered tomatillos, puréed and sieved
3 fresh serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded
4-5 large lettuce leaves, torn in pieces
1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
salt to taste
4 6-ounce salmon steaks

DIRECTIONS

Start by toasting the pumpkin seeds. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat for about five minutes. Add pumpkin seeds. When the first one pops, begin stirring and continue about 5 minutes or until all have popped and begun to turn golden. Let cool completely on a large plate before grinding in a spice grinder or small batch food processor. Strain through coarse sieve and stir in about 1 cup of stock to make a thick paste. Reserve.

Combine tomatillo purée with chiles, lettuce, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, onion, garlic, and spices. Purée in blender until smooth. Strain and recombine the solids with a little liquid and purée again.

Add lard or oil to large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Fry the pumpkin seed paste. Stir steadily as it darkens and thickens (about 5 minutes). Add the tomatillo-vegetable purée and stir. Continue cooking a few minutes until entire mixture is very thick. Add remaining chicken stock and simmer for about a half hour.

Remove from heat and stir a little to cool. Place in blender in batches and process until smooth. Salt to taste and add extra stock to thin, if necessary. Sauce is complete. Return to stove to heat before serving.

Grill, roast, or broil the salmon. We prefer grilling on a hot griddle seasoned with a little oil for 3 minutes per side. Serve on hot tortilla with pumpkin seed sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro.