One of the first dishes my husband taught me when we got married was the classic red salsa, made from char roasting Roma tomatoes and Serrano chiles and blending them with some salt and garlic cloves.
This simple 4 ingredient salsa is spicy and bright, although you can control the spice level by increasing or decreasing the ratio of chiles to tomatoes.
Now, it is worth noting that my husband insists this is not a chip-dipping salsa and it’s meant to go with your food. However, I have been known to eat it with tortilla chips occasionally, much to his dismay. I will say though it is very different from the salsa you buy in a jar at the grocery store for dipping and scooping.
I started out just using a blender to make the salsa, but over time I noticed I had a tendency to over-blend and make the salsa a little soupy. So lately I’ve been using a molcajete to grind everything up by hand and keep the salsa nice and chunky.
The salsa begins with the roasting of the veggies. A cast iron skillet works well for me, lined with tin foil for easy cleanup. I use medium high heat and turn the veggies as they char, to make sure they get cooked well on all sides. The chiles will cook faster than the tomatoes. You can also toast your garlic in the skillet but pay close attention as it will toast up very quickly.
Next you can remove the charred skins from the veggies if you want. If I’m in a rush I’ll leave them on but when I’m taking my time I do usually remove them. It helps make the salsa a richer color, as the blackened skins pieces tend to give it a grey-ish appearance after blending.
PLEASE DONT TOUCH YOUR FACE AND EYES AFTER TOUCHING THE CHILES! Wash hands THOROUGHLY after removing the skins of the chiles. I have already made this mistake for you, trust me, you don’t need to experience it for yourself!
Now you’ll add all your veggies to your blender or molcajete with some salt and blend to the desired consistency. You’ll have to taste as you go to get the salt to the level you prefer. With a blender I find it’s easier to just pulse the mixture slowly, to prevent the aforementioned soupy-ness.
For molcajete salsa, you’ll gently smoosh the veggies down with the pestle into the bowl of the molcajete, and once they’re broken down you’ll grind and scrape them against the molcajete sides until you’ve got a nicely blended mixture. It takes some time and arm-pain, but it’s definitely worth it!
And you’re done! Simple salsa roja, delicious with a variety of dishes. Get yourself some tortillas and enjoy!
—Ash