Mouth-on-Fire Salsa
My friend Michael Torres showed me how to make this salsa. It’s a staple he always has in his fridge, and now I do too. His tip: “Make sure the veggies and peppers are quemada!” That’s right, go beyond merely charring them to basically burning the outside of them (quemada means “burnt” in Spanish). It’s what gives this salsa its incredibly rich, smoky, intense flavor. You’ll find yourself dousing everything with it – a pan of scrambled eggs, a grilled rib-eye steak , a sandwich, quesadillas – and your chips and salsa will be taken to a whole new level. If you want to go crazy, add a chipotle chile to the blender. Alternatively, if you want to tone down the heat, remove the seeds from the jalapeños and reduce the amount of chiles de árbol, or omit them.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 dried chiles de árbol
8 large tomatillos, husked and rinsed
3 medium heirloom tomatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 red jalapeño peppers
1 green jalapeño pepper
1 bunch scallions, trimmed
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Juice of 1 lemon
Directions
PREP TIME
MINS
COOKING TIME
MINS
Serves
Make-Ahead:
The salsa will keep for up to 5 days, stored airtight in the refrigerator.
Prepare a grill for high heat.
In a small heavy sauté pan, combine the oil and chiles de árbol and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until the chiles are toasted and beginning to blacken. Remove the chiles and set aside. Allow the chile oil to cool slightly.
On a large baking sheet, toss the tomatillos, tomatoes, jalapeños, and scallions with the chile oil and season with salt. Lightly oil the grill grates, place the vegetables on the grill, and close the lid. Cook the vegetables, turning only once, until they are blackened as much as possible; don’t stress out if the tomatoes and tomatillos break open and begin to fall apart – it’s a sign that they’re cooked through. Aim for these cooking times: 8 minutes per side for the tomatoes and tomatillos, about 6 minutes per side for the jalapeños, and about 3 minutes per side for the scallions. Using tongs, transfer the vegetables to the baking sheet and let cool slightly.
Trim the stems from the jalapeños and remove the seeds, if desired. Do not remove the charred skin.
In a blender, combine the blackened vegetables, the garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, and toasted chiles de árbol and blend until smooth. Season the salsa to taste with salt.
