Salsa Roja

Name: Salsa Roja
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Yield: 1 ½ cups
Ingredients: 3 dried chiles de árbol (omit for mild salsa or see Notes)3 medium tomatoes; stems removed¼ medium onion; cut into big chunks3 serrano peppers (use ¼ to ½ bell pepper for mild salsa)1 clove garlic; unpeeled¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

This fresh and spicy red salsa can be used with a variety of dishes including tacos and enchiladas, with eggs and for dipping most anything.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
Makes: 1 ½ cups
Nutrition Facts: View label

Ingredients

3 dried chiles de árbol (omit for mild salsa or see Notes)
3 medium tomatoes, stems removed
¼ medium onion, cut into big chunks
3 serrano peppers (use ¼ to ½ bell pepper for mild salsa)
1 clove garlic, unpeeled
¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions

Wash hands with soap and water.
Rinse or scrub fresh vegetables under running water before preparing.
On a dry skillet on medium heat, grill chiles de árbol until lightly toasted, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
In a blender, grind the toasted chiles until pieces are small.
Place vegetables and garlic on the skillet. Grill on medium heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Move around a few times to brown all edges.
Remove peel from garlic. Add garlic, vegetables, salt and pepper to the blender. Pulse 4 to 5 times, to a thickness you like.
Move salsa to a bowl. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours.

Notes

You can substitute the chile de árbol (dry) with ¼ teaspoon of ground chile de árbol.
To reduce the spiciness, use less (or no) chile de árbol.
No serrano peppers? Use jalapeño peppers or other hot peppers.
The spiciness of the peppers can vary depending on the growing conditions. Peppers usually have a higher level of heat during hot summer months.
Chop the leaves and stems of cilantro; all parts are flavorful.
No blender? Use a knife or grind with a stone, mortar or molcajete.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Thanks to the OSU Extension Latin Heritage Workgroup for this recipe.

Featured in a Food Hero Monthly

Comments

Submitted by HENelson13 on Wed, 03/20/2024 - 10:08

Great tasting and simple salsa recipe! Made this for a class and class elected to have the salsa medium. For this reason I used 1 serrano pepper and 2 chiles de árbol. Fantastic taste and can imagine it will be even better in summer with fresh ingredients.

Submitted by Abbie on Fri, 01/26/2024 - 09:24

Grilling the veggies first adds a rich depth of flavor. I made this in Aug. with veggies bought from a local farm stand. It was delicious with chips, added to a rice and bean bowl, and on eggs. My serrano peppers were pretty hot from the Aug. heat so I didn't add chile de arbol. I usually buy jars of salsa, but this simple recipe showed me that I can make my own.

Submitted by walscaro on Tue, 09/14/2021 - 22:45

Thanks for this simple and tasty recipe for salsa. I have a feeling that this will be good with any variety of peppers. Tonight we used dried cayenne peppers instead of chile de arbol and fresh poblano instead of serrano. It had just the right amount of spice; cilantro adds more bright flavor!

Submitted by bwalt on Tue, 09/14/2021 - 21:52

What an easy and flavorful salsa! I made two batches for a party. One with three peppers for the spicy crowd and one with no peppers for the mild folks. The all loved both. Thanks.