Chiltomate? Chile and tomato together is chiltomate! I enjoy all kinds of salsa, but I tend to favor the flavors of this zesty blend! I take my salsa making pretty serious, lol!
Are you too afraid to try habanero?
I used to feel the same way! Until I tried it for the first time and fell in love with the flavor. The heat wasn’t as bad as I thought. I seriously have eaten serrano and jalapeno peppers with way more heat. On occasion that does happen. If it makes you feel better, you can remove the few seeds that the habanero has and just start with half a pepper. My salsa recipe has 2 habaneros per four large Roma tomatoes.
Did you know you could freeze fresh chile peppers?
Used to think I had to roast or boil them first if I wanted to freeze them. No! I pop them in a double layered freezer bag and store them on the door of my freezer. I take out whatever I need and let them defrost on the counter. Dry roast as usual.
What do you serve this salsa with?
That is one of the most asked questions I get whenever I share a salsa recipe. With everything, I say! You could prepare a slightly milder version for chip dipping. I love this salsa on all kinds of tacos, especially anything seafood.
What comal(griddle) works best for dry roasting?
I don’t always use a cast iron comal(griddle). I sometimes use the thin all metal Mexican comal as well. Lining it with foil paper is definitely optional, and it makes my life a lot easier! I have bad wrist, so I use the foil paper often. Try to avoid using your nonstick surface skillets for dry roasting. I think it wears the nonstick out a lot faster. I don’t find that I get the same flavors when I use the oven for roasting. That’s just my experience, anyway.
Quick Tip!
If you want to make the whole stove top roasting go a lot faster, add just a drizzle of oil. I often opt for no oil because it changes the dynamics of the salsa. In some cases it may change the color or texture slightly when oil gets blended with ingredients. If you are ok with that, then go ahead and try it.
Chiltomate Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 large roma tomatoes remove the core
- 1/3 white onion
- 2 cloves of garlic with skins on
- 1-2 habanero peppers remove stems
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/3 cup water
- Salt to taste
- avocado or grapeseed oil
- Pinch of oregano
Instructions
- After washing tomatoes and peppers, transfer them with the onion and garlic to a griddle or comal that is at right below medium heat. For easy clean up, you can line the griddle with some foil paper before adding ingredients. This method of cooking is called dry roasting. Turn ingredients as needed for the next 20-25 minutes, removing the garlic after 15 minutes.
- After dry roasting, transfer all ingredients to the blender. Blend on high until smooth, set aside. In a saucepan, preheat 1 tablespoons of oil to medium heat for a few minutes. When oil is hot, pour in the salsa from the blender. Reduce heat slightly and continue cooking for 8 to 10 minutes.
- When possible, store cooled salsas in glass jars with a tight lid in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Avoid leaving entire jar at room temperature. The constant temperature change can cause the salsa to spoil faster. In a separate small bowl spoon in what you will enjoy and refrigerate the remaining salsa right away. The cooked salsas last for about 10 days refrigerated.
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OMG! I have always asked my mom why she cooks her salsa but she could never tell me why, just that that’s how its done. Stubborn, I never cooked mine. I should’ve known better – my salsas were short lived and now I understand why!
Mom always knows best. It was life changing when I discovered that too! Lol! I used to try and freeze everything and the salsa was just not as good.
I live in the Los Angeles area and have a lot of Mexican markets available to choose from. My problem is being able to tell the difference between Italian and Mexican oregano. Can you offer some guidance in being able to select the Mexican Oregano — I would totally appreciate it!
Hi Diablo,
I purchase the oregano from the Mexican markets most of the times. I have ordered it online before too. Look for packaging to say it’s from Mexico. My family grows oregano in Monterrey, Mexico and have shared it with me in the past. It’s so delicious and different from the packaged variety.
Have made this a couple of times since last spring. Have also done it with datil peppers. From this and another recipe now I understand why you cook the salsa. Learned something new. Making it again as soon as I send this msessahe
That’s awesome Kurt! I have never tried datil peppers, but would like to try! Thank you for the feedback!