Salsa Roja

5 (6 ratings)

This Authentic Mexican Salsa Roja recipe has a thin consistency and a deliciously crave-worthy spicy & garlicky flavor. It’s like having your favorite restaurant salsa at home! It's perfect for jazzing up your tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, or grilled dishes. Oh, and guess what? It doubles as an amazing marinade too.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Appetizer, Appetizers, Salsas

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: cups

Author: Yvette Marquez

Ingredients

1 jalapeno
1 serrano
4 roma tomatoes
1/4 white onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon coarse salt
Handful cilantro
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Heat a comal on the stovetop or the oven broiler. Place chile peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a comal or on a foil-linen baking sheet and broil for about 8 minutes, turning once, or until tomatoes are blistered and blackened in spots and softened. No need to peel tomatoes or chiles. Let cool.
Add roasted ingredients into a blender with salt and cilantro. Pulse until smooth.
In a skillet, warm olive oil. When the oil is hot, pour blended salsa and flash fry for about 2 minutes. You might want to be ready with a splatter screen during this step. Serve in bowl and add salt to taste.

Notes

Please note that the nutritional values are for the entire batch of salsa roja.

Optional Variations:

Spicy - Add an extra jalapeño or serrano to amp up the heat.

Mild - If chiles set your mouth ablaze, feel free to remove the seeds and white membranes from the interiors before adding them to the salsa. You’re also welcome to use only jalapeños which are less spicy than serranos, or use fewer chiles overall.

Chunky - Instead of using a blender or food processor, use a molcajete (heavy mortar and pestle) to pound the ingredients into a chunkier-style salsa.

Nutrition