Last summer I went to Mexico, and the most memorable thing of the whole trip was the salsa. I know it sounds extreme, but the roasted chipotle salsa at the little restaurant we went to was incredible. It was made tableside, and we must have eaten 5 servings! When I asked them what their secret was, they said that they roasted everything, and made sure to use a liberal amount of salt. Ever since that trip, I’ve tried to replicate the salsa, and I think I’ve got it almost perfect!
This roasted chipotle salsa is easy to whip up, and can be made ahead of time to keep in the fridge. I prefer it warm, but this salsa is delicious served at any temp! Forget buying jars of premade salsa, this recipe will change your view on Mexican food!
Roasted Chipotle Salsa Ingredients:
- 2-3 tbs canola oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 8 plum tomatoes
- 3 large cloves of garlic
- 3 green onions
- 2 shallots
- 2 dried California chilies (seeds removed)
- 2 dried Guajillo chilies (seeds removed)
- 2 tbs fresh cilantro
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce + 1 tsp of the sauce
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set your oven to 450 degrees. Roughly chop the tomatoes, green onions, and shallots, then place on baking sheet with the whole peeled cloves of garlic. Toss everything with the canola oil and salt, and make sure everything is well coated.
Roast for 10-15 minutes until the garlic and onions are fragrant, and everything is slightly golden brown. You want browned bits on everything.
While that is in the oven, get started on your dried chilies. I have to admit, I actually get my fried chilies at the 99 cent store! You can find them at your local supermarket or Mexican grocery store, but I always find a lot of variety at the 99 cent store. Break off the tip and dump out the seeds. If you want you can leave them in, however I find the salsa to seedy when I leave them in.
Place the dried chilies in the food processor and pulse to break them apart, you want them pretty well broken down, but don’t worry about getting them too small because you’ll continue to pulse when you put the roasted veggies in. Once the veggies are ready, let them cool for a few minutes, then dump them into the food processor, pulsing until you get your desired consistency.
Add in the chipotle pepper with adobo sauce, lime, and cilantro and pulse mixture until combines. Taste, and add more salt if needed.
This roasted chipotle salsa is the perfect accompaniment to chips, tacos, burritos, and more! Once you make this, you’ll never go back to the flavorless store bought stuff. Enjoy!
