Molcajete! Tomato and chile de arbol are the perfect simple combination for many salsa recipes! Throw in a little garlic, some toasting and roasting on the comal, delicious! This molcajete tomato chile de arbol salsa is a variation of the blended version. That version you can find here on my blog and in my new cookbook, Mexican Salsa!
Basic Ingredients! Delicious Results!
Salsa can be delicious with minimal ingredients! I enjoy a flavorful salsa and also enjoy trying new combinations. I am still trying to figure out why many popular restaurants are adding canned tomatoes and cumin to their table salsa. Only because I know how easy it is to prepare a fresh, uncomplicated salsa. Don’t get me wrong, I have a super tasty , award winning restaurant style prepared with canned tomatoes, here on my blog. The key is knowing how to season it and adding the right combination of ingredients. Not every place knows how to do this though. The results are a salsa that taste bland and out of a can.
Look For Red Ripe Tomatoes!
Red ripe tomatoes are ideal for preparing this variety of salsa and delicious in Mexican rice!
What Can I Substitute For A More Mild Version?
First of all, I fail every time at preparing a mild salsa, lol! You could simply add less chile de arbol, but that may also take away that delicious red chile flavor. Chile cascabel or in some cases, chile japones is a bit more mild than the arbol. I would even suggest tearing the larger, chile California, into pieces and toasting it on the comal to replace some of the chile de arbol.
To Cook, Or Not To Cook The Garlic?!
That’s a good question! It really depends on you! If you love the flavors of fresh garlic, then simply use it fresh. If you want a more mild flavored garlic in your salsa recipes, then you can dry roast the garlic, even poach it or saute it for a few minutes before adding it to your salsa. Chef’s Choice!
Molcajete Tomato Chile de Arbol Salsa!
Equipment
- Molcajete
- metal comal or skillet
Ingredients
- 3 large Roma tomatoes
- Water to cook tomatoes
- 14 gr dried chile de arbol stems removed
- 3 cloves of garlic leave skins on
- a coarse salt
Instructions
- Score an X at the base of tomatoes, Carefully cut out and discard the cores.
- Drop tomatoes into a pot of simmering water. Cook for 10 minutes at a steady gentle boil or until skins start to peel away. Remove tomatoes from water and let cool.
- On a preheated comal or skillet at heat below medium, toast the dried chile de arbol for a few minutes. Turn and toss often. Once they become aromatic and start to blacken in some spots, remove them from the heat.
- To that same hot comal, add the cloves of garlic. Dry roast the garlic for 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Transfer chiles to the molcajete. Add 1/3 tsp of coarse salt. Grind until you have a coarse looking powder. Add the peeled garlic cloves and grind into a paste.
- Peel cooled tomatoes. One at a time, grind the tomatoes in the molcajete to combine with ground chiles and garlic. Gently pound on tomatoes and work up onto the sides of the molcajete as you go. Once done, use a wooden spoon to mix the salsa ingredients well. Taste for salt. If the salsa is too thick, you can mix in a splash of water. This salsa is perfect for beef! Carne asada, barbacoa or any of your favorite tacos!
Notes
Reader Interactions
Comments
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Hi, Sonia! I plan to prepare this soon! We have a small chile de arbol, and it’s produced lots of chiles. Looking forward to trying this! This afternoon I cooked nopales folliwing your directions (no water); I was dubious but it worked!
I read every post, and have saved quite a few of them. Your recipes taste just right to me and my husband. We live in Guanajuato, not far from León. Thank you again!
Gail
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Hi Gail! Yummy, fresh chile de arbol is so tasty too! I felt that way about the nopales too the first time I heard of it, lol! It’s so easy and pretty quick for the most part. Wow, Guanajuato, wonderful! I have a good friend here in Chico, California that is from Guanajuato! Thank you for taking the time to write and give me some feedback, I appreciate it! Saludos!