You know when you go to a Mexican restaurant or even (let’s be honest) a Chili’s and you can’t stop eating the chips and salsa? This Restaurant-Style Fire-Roasted Salsa makes you wish the chips and salsa were bottomless at your house, too.
In Mexican cuisine, this type of salsa is called Salsa Tatemada, meaning it’s fire-roasted. Charring all the ingredients before blending them is what makes this salsa so special (and addictive).
When you’re having a big group of people over at your house, it’s always better to make your own salsa because of quantity, cost, and taste. This Restaurant-Style Fire-Roasted Salsa yields almost double the amount of a store-bought container and inevitably is more cost-effective. Did we mention it tastes better, too?
This is the ideal salsa to serve with chips as a snack or appetizer for a crowd.
Restaurant Style Fire Roasted Salsa
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 2 cloves of garlic unpeeled
- 1 serrano pepper destemmed
- 4 medium Roma tomatoes
- 1/4 white onion
- 1/2 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro stems and all
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Line a cast iron skillet with aluminum foil and heat over high until it's very hot.
- Add 2 cloves of garlic, 1 serrano pepper, 1/4 white onion, and 4 medium Roma tomatoes to the heated pan, flipping over each ingredient every couple of minutes to char each side.
- After about 4-5 minutes, remove the 2 cloves of garlic and set on a plate to cool.
- After about 5-6 minutes, remove 1 serrano pepper and set aside with garlic.
- After about 8-10 minutes, remove the 1/4 white onion and 4 medium Roma tomatoes and set aside to cool.
- Once the garlic has cooled, peel it.
- Add the peeled 2 cloves of garlic, 1 serrano pepper, 1/4 white onion, 4 medium Roma tomatoes, 1 tsp kosher salt, the juice of 1/2 lime, and 1/4 cup cilantro (packed with the stems and all) into a blender.
- Blend on the lowest setting or pulse until everything is combined. There should still be some small chunks of tomatoes to reach the right consistency.
- Taste and add more salt if desired.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Serrano v. jalapeño
In this recipe, we use serrano peppers. They look similar to a jalapeño but they are thinner and have a stronger kick.
This Restaurant-Style Fire-Roasted Salsa recipe calls for one serrano pepper, giving it a soft medium heat. If you want a hotter kick, add an extra serrano pepper (using two total).
For an overall milder taste, you can swap out the serrano for a jalapeño, which is less spicy.
Blending it all together
When you make any kind of salsa you need to be mindful that you don’t over-blend it. Over-blending creates a liquid-like, frothy consistency rather than a scoopable salsa that everyone loves. To get the right consistency, start blending on the lowest setting. If your blender is super strong like a Vitamix, you may need to pulse little by little so there are still a few chunks in your salsa.
Looking for another recipe to dip your chips in? Make this guacamole recipe that’s perfect for gamedays and taco nights.
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