Salsa Roja
A rich, charred tomato salsa with dried chiles, broiled onion, and garlic. The frying step after blending is what sets this apart — it darkens and concentrates everything into a deeply flavored, versatile salsa.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kgtomatoes, halved (mixed large and cherry)
- 2 guajillo chiles, dried (stems removed)
- 2 ancho chiles, dried (stems removed)
- 4 clovesgarlic (unpeeled)
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 tspcumin
- 1 tspsalt (or to taste)
- 1 tbspneutral oil
Instructions
- 1
Set oven to broil on high. Place halved tomatoes, onion, and unpeeled garlic on a baking sheet. Broil 10-15 minutes until charred in spots, flipping once halfway through.
15:00 - 2
While tomatoes broil, toast the dried chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, 30 seconds per side until fragrant. Don't burn them or they turn bitter.
- 3
Soak the toasted chiles in boiling water for 15 minutes until soft. Drain.
15:00 - 4
Peel the roasted garlic. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic, soaked chiles, cumin, and salt together. Pulse — leave some texture rather than pureeing completely smooth.
- 5
Heat oil in a wide pan over high heat until very hot. Pour in the blended salsa — it will spatter. Cook 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the salsa darkens, thickens, and the raw flavor cooks out. This step is essential for depth.
08:00 - 6
Taste and adjust salt. Cool before storing.
Notes
Keeps refrigerated 10 days. The frying step is non-negotiable — it transforms a flat blended sauce into something with real body and complexity. Use as a taco sauce, enchilada base, shakshuka starting point, or spooned over eggs. Medium heat from the ancho/guajillo combination; add a chile de árbol for more fire.
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Mexican Brunch
A lazy weekend brunch where one sauce does double duty. Make the salsa roja first — it is the simmering bath for the chilaquiles, so the chips go in only at the very end to stay just-softened, never soggy. Char the corn for the esquites while the salsa cooks. Top the chilaquiles with egg and cheese and serve everything at once, hot. Tepache ferments 2-3 days at room temperature — start it a few days ahead of brunch.
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