Part Mexico, part California. Salsa, Guac & Veg Crudite. This is the first thing I made in CA after living in the Caribbean for 2 years.
For a white girl, I make a mean salsa. Though I do gringify the heat levels these days, people go crazy over my salsas. It’s probably a combination of growing up in S. Cal, dating a Mexican guy whose mom was an amazing cook, studying with a chef in Oaxaca, or just my absolute love of Mexican food.
There are two elements that are most important to making good salsa.
#1, for this recipe, the secret ingredient is Oaxacan pasillas. Get yourself some if you aspire to salsa greatness (link below). #2, most people don’t tweak their salsa once it’s made, but you must. It rarely comes out right on the first try. More on this below..
Ingrediets
16 oz tomatoes- canned, fresh, frozen- they all work. Tomatillos too
1 yellow onion, cut into thick slices
2-3 cloves garlic
1 oaxacan pasilla or any chile you like (fresh or frozen). See source below.
juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch cilantro
sea salt
honey
avocado oil
Instructions
1) Heat a dry cast iron skillet. Add the onion slices and garlic cloves (skin on) to the skillet. Once they have a nice color on one side flip and sear the other side. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. You can do this in the broiler too, but watch closely. No oil.
2) In the meantime boil some hot water and submerge the Oaxacan pasilla chile in it, if you are using a dried chile.
3) Once the chile is soft, take the seeds out and put it in the bottom of a blender. Add ingredients to the blender in this order: chile, garlic, onions, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice, and salt. Drizzle a tablespoon or so of avocado oil in to temper the acidity of the tomatoes.
4) Pulse the blender until the salsa is a consistency you like- anywhere from chunky to pureed.
5) Now taste- very important! What’s missing? Salt? Is it a bit tart- add a tiny bit of honey. Maybe it needs more lime. Pulse a couple more times and taste again. On average it takes me 3-4 adjustments to get the balance right. Taste testing on a tortilla chip can help you discern what’s needed.
Here’s a source for Pasillas Oaxaquenas. It’s a small bag. If you fall in love with them as I have, there are other sources online for larger quantities that are more affordable.
