A great salsa is only as good as the salsa running down your arm! Lol! True story. One of the most fun dinners with friends and family, for me, is a taco party or taquiza. And before you can even decide on what kind of tacos you will serve, you must plan the salsa. La taquiza! It all starts with the salsa!
Whether they are tacos de carne asada, chicken fajitas or grilled shrimp, the salsa you choose to garnish with is going to make that taco experience complete. For today’s blog post I chose three of my favorite salsa recipes to share with you. I do tend to keep these types of ingredients on hand all of the time when I can. And besides the salsa’s, you want to make sure you have ingredients like crumbled Mexican cheese, crema, avocado, fresh cilantro, onions, and limes to enjoy those tacos. And one of the best things about having leftover salsa from your taquiza party? Huevos rancheros or chilaquiles the next morning! Bring on the salsa!
Salsa Taquera-Chile de Arbol Tomatillo Salsa
Ingredients
- 12 chile de arbol stems removed
- 3 chile California peppers stems and seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic skins on
- 6 large tomatillos husk removed and washed
- Pinch of Mexican oregano
- Splash of water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- On a preheated griddle or skillet at medium, toast the dried chile de arbol and California peppers. You will toast just for 1 or 2 minutes. They will soften slightly and become aromatic. Some blackening is ok. Be careful not to let them burn or they will become bitter.
- Remove the chiles from griddle and transfer them to a pot of simmering water. Cook for 6 minutes and remove the whole pot from the heat. On that same griddle at medium heat, add the tomatillos and garlic. Drizzle on just a touch of oil. Roast, turning as needed, until most spots on tomatillos char and start to soften. Remove the garlic after 15 minutes.
- Peel the skins off garlic, add to blender along with the charred tomatillos. Using a slotted spoon, add the chile de arbol and California peppers. Add a splash of cooking water, pinch of Mexican oregano and salt to taste. Start by pulsing and then blend on high until smooth. Taste for salt. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salsa will be good for up to 2 weeks.
Tips~ Wipe down the large dried chiles with a wet paper towels before using. They are sometimes a little dirty. To save time, I cook ingredients for several salsa’s or as much that I cn fit on the griddle. The jalapeños for the are for the Salsa de Jalapeño Tatemada below.
Tips~ Charring the tomatillos can also be done on an outdoor grill or under the broiler.
Salsa de Chipotle
Ingredients
- 6 dried chipotle peppers
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes and chipotle peppers. If the chipotles still have a stem, carefully cut them off. Cover ingredients with water and bring it to a boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until skins on tomatoes are loose and chipotles soften.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chipotles to the blender. Remove tomatoes onto a plate and carefully peel off the loose skins, discard skins. To the blender add tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, cumin, 1/2 cup cooking liquid and salt to taste. Blend on high until smooth. Taste for salt.
- Now you can serve the salsa as is, but I like to take the extra step of straining it using a wire mesh strainer. The results are a very smooth, smoky chipotle salsa! If you have a power blender like a Vitamix, no straining is needed. If the salsa is too thick, mix in a little more water. Store cooled salsa in a glass jar refrigerated. It will be good for 2 or more weeks.
Tips~ In my opinion, I think that the dried chipotles are so much smokier than the canned version. I love both, but for a true chipotle flavored salsa, I prefer the dried chiles. The chipotle salsa pictured was before I had my power blender. The salsa looks coarser.
Salsa de Jalapeño Tatemada (Charred Jalapeño Salsa)
Tips~ On days when I cannot use my outdoor grill, my favorite method of charring the jalapeños is on a comal on the stove top.
Ingredients
- 8 large jalapeños stems removed
- 4 large cloves of garlic peeled
- Avocado oil
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 cup of water
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano crushed
Instructions
- Add the jalapeños and the garlic to a griddle set medium heat. When they start to pop and become aromatic, turn heat down slightly and drizzle on just enough oil to coat the peppers. Continue cooking until most sides are charred, turning as needed. Remove the garlic after 7-8 minutes.
- Remove peppers from comal and roughly chop. Add peppers and garlic to the blender jar. Add vinegar, water, oregano and salt to taste. Pulse to blend until desired consistency. Pour into serving dish. Store in glass jars refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.
- For a creamy version, drizzle in avocado oil as you blend the salsa on high speed. Just enough oil until it looks smooth and creamy.
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These salsa’s are wonderful.
Thank you so much mscozart!
Good salsa can be eaten with a spoon. I’m breaking out my big spoons for these, Thanks so much for sharing. We’ve been trying to hack the salsa at Hacienda Colorado for years. That Salsa Taquera Chile de Arbol looks close!!!
Oh, that’s right! Bring on the big spoon, lol! I like to experiment and figure out my favorite taqueria salsa recipes all the time. Wish they would jut share them already, ha ha!
Hello,
Thank you for posting this. Question …on the first salsa. I see 5 jalapeno peppers in the bowl of ingredients but they aren’t mentioned in the recipe. Please advise
Actually…I just saw your mention …it’s for the third salsa. Thankyou!
Oh, yes Tracy. I usually will multi task and roast a bunch of ingredients all at once, lol! Thanks for the feedback.