Taquera Salsa

Overhead shot of bottle of salsa taquera next to dried chiles and spoon with sauce.

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: salsa

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Resting time: 5

Total Time: 20

Servings: people

Calories: 136kcal

Author: Platings and Pairings

Skip the jar of store bought salsa and make Salsa Taquera instead! It’s a smoky and vibrant condiment that’s perfect for tacos, carnitas, grilled meats, and more. The ingredients are simple, but the flavor is extravagant!

Print Recipe

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

4 roma tomatoes halved lengthwise
1 large yellow onion peeled and sliced into thick rounds
1 cup canola oil or vegetable oil, plus 1 Tablespoon
4 cloves garlic
½ cup packed dried New Mexico chilies or árbol chiles, stemmed
⅓ cup water
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat broiler to high.
Arrange onion slices and tomatoes (cut side down) on a baking sheet. Broil, about 4-inches from the heating element, for about 10 minutes, until beginning to char.
Meanwhile, heat 1 TBSP oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add the chiles and cook 1-2 minutes longer, until fragrant and beginning to darken.
Transfer chiles and garlic to a blender or food processor. Add the water and vinegar, and let sit for 5 minutes to soften.
Process on high, 10 to 20 seconds. Then, turn the speed to low and stream in the remaining vegetable oil.
Add the tomatoes, onion and salt and process until smooth.

Notes

Storage

After cooling, pour your blended red salsa into an airtight container and refrigerate it for 6 to 7 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze the taquera salsa by pouring it into a freezer-safe container or jar. Freeze for up to 4 months.

Tips and variations

Instead of charring the tomato and onion under a hot broiler, you can sear them in a hot cast-iron skillet or on the grill to achieve the char.
Be careful while handling spicy chili peppers! Wear gloves if you can and wash your hands as soon as you’re done handling them.
Add 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to the mixture to enrich the salsa with an irresistibly smoky flavor.
To make salsa verde (green restaurant-style salsa), use tomatillos instead of Roma tomatoes and swap the red arbol chile peppers for green serrano peppers or jalapenos.

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