Red Salsa With Chile de Árbol—for a Hint of Smoke & Heat

This is the smoky, earthy red salsa to reach for when you want to kick your tacos up a notch. It has heat, yet it’s not burn-your-face-off hot. It is bold flavor, yet it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of your plate. It tastes like smoky-blackened tomatoes, yet it’s light and flavorful. Its defining ingredient is fiery-red, tiny, dried chile de árbol cooked on high heat in olive oil on the stovetop.

And it’s a winner.

This is another star salsa from la cocina de Anjie Villalobos, one of our favorite Mexican-food abuela cocineras. We recently made a large batch of this red salsa and spooned it over her killer carne asada tacos and blackened garlicky shrimp tacos with equally great results. This salsa has range.

”I alternate between making two or three red salsas and always have at least one going in my refrigerator” says Anjie. ”This one is definitely one of my favorites. But,” she cautions, “be careful with the chile de árbol. This is where the caliente comes from, so use less chiles if you like your salsa on the cooler side.”

To try more of Anjie’s Mexican and southwestern U.S. family-famous recipes, check out her green chile chicken pozole, avocado salsa, Mexican frijoles de olla or refried beans, tacos de papa and her family-famous guacamole.

Ready to Make this Smoky Red Salsa with Chile de Árbol?

Red Salsa With Chile de Árbol for a Hint of Smoke & Heat

Recipe by Anjie Villalobos

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

6 to 8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 to 4 dried chiles de árbol

• 6 tomatoes

• 1/2 small onion, pan roasted

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped.

• 1 1/2 tsp salt, more or less to taste

• 1/4 cup water, optional (if you desire thinner salsa)

• 1/2 small onion, raw, finely diced

Directions

• Coat pan with olive oil.
• On medium heat, toast the chiles, tomatoes, ½ onion and garlic, until the tomatoes and chiles are blackened, and the onion and the garlic are caramelized.
• Place all ingredients from the pan into a blender. Add salt. Blend until smooth.
• Taste and if desired, add more salt and/or additional water if you like your salsa on the more liquidy, thin side. Pulse again.
• Add chopped cilantro and finely diced raw onion. Pulse once or twice lightly to mix thoroughly.
• Chill for half an hour and it’s ready to serve. Drizzle it over your favorite Mexican dishes and/or enjoy solo with tortilla chips.

Notes

• The heat comes from the tiny, bright-red chile de árbol. You can use more or less than the recipe calls for, to your taste.

Photo: Michelle Ezratty Murphy