Salsa taquera means “salsa for tacos”, which, in my opinion, covers all salsas! If you know me, you know I LOVE tacos, they’re the perfect delivery method for almost any type of protein, in any flavor style. I enjoy experimenting by fusing flavors from different cuisines, but nothing beats a classic tacos. And no taco is complete without the perfect sauce. This smoky salsa is a robust take on a traditional salsa taquera!
Anything can go on a taco, but this salsa is especially perfect for steak tacos. The flavor is bold and robust, with plenty of smokiness and a nice kick of heat. It compliments steak, carne asada, or tritip perfectly.
Making salsa may sound a bit intimidating, but it’s actually not difficult, and only takes about 20-30 minutes. Of course, if you really want to simplify things, go for a salsa fresca that doesn’t require any cooking at all… but we’ll save that for a different post!
Ingredients for Smoky Salsa Taquera
Roma tomatoes – delicious, robust flavor serves as the base of this salsa.
Tomatillos – herbal, citrus and tang, with a slightly sweet finish.
Jalapeno, Serrano peppers – jalapenos add a delicious sweet spiciness that will come to live once they’re roasted, and the serranos add a sharper amount of heat.
Chili de Arbol – these are the star of the salsa, smoky and earthy, with a good amount of heat behind them.
Garlic – garlic helps brings flavors to life and add a full body
Cilantro – the smell of cilantro is one of my favorite aromas. Cilantro is bright and aromatic, and a staple for Mexican flavors.
White onion – the onion will bring a crisp and fresh bite to the salsa, and balance the smokiness.
Olive oil – you could also use avocado oil, this will bring a nice flavor that compliments the other ingredients.
Smoked paprika and cumin – 2 of my favorite spices that provide a distinct Mexican flavor, the smoke will help build the overall taste.
Achiote powder – made from ground annatto seeds, it’s bright red and adds a subtle nutty sweetness. Nothing says Mexican spices to me like Achiote powder.
Pasilla chili powder – ground Pasilla chilis bring a sweetness to the salsa that compliments the smokiness.
Sugar – just a small amount helps bring the rest of the flavors to life!
Chicken bouliion – shhhh, this is the secret ingredient, it adds so much fullness and body to your salsa.
Salt and Pepper – just ask Gordon Ramsey.
How to Make Smoky Salsa Taquera
We’re going start by boiling some water and salt in a sauce pan. Once boiling, add your chili de arbol and serrano peppers, remove from heat, and let them soak for about 15 minutes. This will soften the dried chilis and let those flavors marinate together for a bit.
While the chilis are soaking, whip out your trusty cast iron skillet. If you don’t have one, first of all, get one. And while you’re waiting for that to arrive, you can substitute a large saute pan, but you’ll definitely want to use a cast iron if you can. Start heating the pan on medium heat.
Toss your tomatoes, tomatillos, jalapeno and garlic in a small drizzle of olive oil, and then add them to the pan. You’re going to roast these, turning occasionally, until they have a nice char on all sides. The garlic will char pretty quickly, and you don’t want it to turn bitter, so make sure to watch the garlic and pull it from the pan as soon as it’s nicely browned on all sides.
Once everything has achieved a nice char, go ahead and pull them from the pan and turn off the heat, but DON’T clean your pan yet. We want to get all of the charred flavor added back to the salsa at the end. Your kitchen should be smelling amazing at this point, and the neighbors are probably popping their heads over the fence.
Add all of the veggies to a food processor or blender. This is an important distinction in the process, and it depends on what kind of finished result you’re looking for. If you want to create a salsa that can be used for dipping as well as tacos, I’d recommend a food processor. It will leave some of the chunkiness in there and make it perfect for chips! If you want a thinner sauce, then I’d use a blender to really emulsify everything, and, you can even add a little bit of water to help thin it out even further.
Once you’ve blended the ingredients together, it’s time to add the dry ingredients.
Once those have been full mixed into the salsa, your going to start heating the cast iron pan on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp on olive oil and then add the salsa, slowing stirring until the oil mixes into it.
Once everything is fully mixed, you’ll want to chop the white onion into nice small pieces, and the cilantro into slightly larger pieces. Don’t forget to finely chop the cilantro stems, as that is where the flavor is the strongest!
Once chopped, you’ll want to add the onion and cilantro to the salsa and stir in until it’s fully mixed. Now, you can either leave it out to cool or put it into the refrigerator. Personally, I like my salsa to be chilled over room temperature, it adds a nice contrast!
Smoky Salsa Taquera
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Cast Iron Pan
Ingredients
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 3 tomatillos
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1 serrano pepper
- 6 chili de arbol
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/3 bunch cilantro
- 1/4 white onion
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp smoked cumin
- 1 tsp achiote powder
- 1 tsp pasilla chili powder
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp chicken bouliion
- 2 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp pepper
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, add 1 tbsp of salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.2 tbsp salt
- While the water is heating, chop the white onion and cilantro and set aside. You'll also cut the Roma tomatoes in half.2 Roma tomatoes, 1/3 bunch cilantro, 1/4 white onion
- Once the water has reached a boil, remove from heat and add the serranos and chile de arbol to the water, cover and let sit for at least 15 minutes.1 serrano pepper, 6 chili de arbol
- Begin to heat your cast iron pan on medium to high heat. In a bowl, toss tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and jalapeno in a small amount of olive oil.
- Add tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic and jalapeno to the pan. Turn every couple of minutes until everything is nicely charred on all sides. You'll want to pull the garlic early, so it doesn't turn bitter, but you can leave the rest on for longer. The more char you get, the smokier and more robust the sauce.2 Roma tomatoes, 3 tomatillos, 1 jalapeno pepper, 2 cloves garlic
- Remove everything from the cast iron pan, but leave the pan unwashed on the stove top.
- Add charred tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno, serranos and chili de arbol to a food processor and blend until smooth.2 Roma tomatoes, 3 tomatillos, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 serrano pepper, 6 chili de arbol, 2 cloves garlic
- Add all of the dry ingredients and continue to blend until smooth.1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp smoked cumin, 2 tbsp pepper, 2 tbsp salt
- Heat the olive oil in the cast iron pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the sauce to the pan and stir continuously until the oil and sauce have blended (approx 4-5 minutes). Remove from the pan and add to a bowl.3 tbsp olive oil
- Add the onion and cilantro to the salsa, and the put it in the fridge to cool.1/3 bunch cilantro, 1/4 white onion
Notes
- You can always add more peppers for more heat. I prefer to increase the number of chile de arbol, as they add more of the robust smoky flavor to this salsa, and the seeds give the sauce an authentic look.
- I like to dice the onion pretty fine, but I leave the cilantro a bit chunkier, especially if you’re going to eat this more like a salsa. It’s always appetizing to find a nice chunk of cilantro on your chip!
- A food processor will result a slightly chunkier salsa, perfect for dipping and topping your tacos. If you want to create something much thinner, specifically for tacos (so it can find it’s way into every detail), try using a blender instead. You can also add a little bit of water to thin the sauce even further.
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