Chefs Binge · Mexican · Serves 20 servings

Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe (Salsa Asada)

Chillies, peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic charred on one tray, then blended coarse with lime, vinegar and a splash of jalapeno pickle juice. Smoky rather than fresh, and better on day two.

Prep

10 min

Cook

20 min

Total

50 min

Serves

20 servings

Per serving

36.5 kcal

Ingredients

5 Red Chilli - tops removed

5 Green Chilli - tops removed

3 Red Bell Peppers - tops and seeds removed

4 Ripe Tomatoes - cut into halves

4 Red Onions - peeled, cut into quarters

20 Garlic Cloves - peeled

1 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1 tbsp Ground Cumin

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 Bunch of Fresh Coriander

2 Limes, juice only

60 ml White Wine Vinegar - (60ml)

Salt to taste

60 ml Pickle juice or Water - (I used leftover Jalapeno pickle juice)

Equipment

Baking Tray · Food processor

Method

Roasting the Vegetables and Spices. Preheat the oven to 240°C (460°F). Tray up the prepared chillies, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions, garlic cloves and coriander seeds, spread out in a single layer. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables char and soften, checking the garlic at the halfway mark because it browns faster than everything else and turns bitter past golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Blending the Ingredients. When the vegetables have cooled down a bit, transfer them to a pot or food processor. Add ground coriander, ground cumin, black pepper, fresh coriander, lime juice, white wine vinegar, and salt to taste. Blend the mix until you achieve a slightly chunky salsa consistency. If the mixture feels too thick, you can thin it out with some pickle juice or water.

Taste and Adjust. After blending, give the salsa a taste. Adjust the seasoning if needed, perhaps adding more salt, lime juice, or pickle juice depending on your preference.

Chilling and Serving. Transfer the salsa to a jar or bowl and chill for at least an hour, which lets the smoke, the sweetness and the acid settle into one thing. Overnight is better again. Taste it once more when it comes out of the fridge, because cold mutes salt and heat. Serve cold with tortilla chips, tacos or grilled meat. The jalapeno pickle juice is what gives it the tang, but water or another pickle juice works if you have none.

Chef’s notes

Watch the garlic. It browns faster than everything else on the tray and past golden it turns bitter. Check at the halfway mark and pull any cloves that have coloured hard.

Single layer. Piled-up vegetables steam instead of charring, and steamed vegetables make a flat salsa.

Pulse, do not puree. A blender left running turns salsa into juice.

Watery batch: plum tomatoes hold their shape best. Otherwise scoop the seedy jelly out before roasting, drain the finished salsa, or bubble it in a hot pan with a little oil for five minutes to thicken it.

Heat: change the chilli variety rather than the number, and leave the seeds and veins in or out to dial it. Fridge up to a week, or freeze.

Not for canning. This is not a tested water-bath recipe and it is heavy on low-acid ingredients. Fridge or freezer only.

A serving is a twentieth of the batch, which is nearer 70 to 80 g than 100 g once the vegetables have roasted down. No sodium figure is given because the salt is added to taste and the pickle brine varies by jar.

Per serving Calories 36.5 kcal · Protein 1.44 g · Carbs 7.85 g · Fat 0.36 g · Saturates 0.04 g · Fibre 1.71 g · Sugar 3.5 g

chefsbinge.com/roasted-tomato-salsa-recipe-salsa-asada

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