Salsa Roja (Roasted Tomato and Chilli Salsa)
Photo: Mandy Bourke / Unsplash
A smoky, everyday Mexican table salsa made from tomatoes, garlic, onion and chillies charred in a dry pan, then blended until rough. Perfect for tacos, eggs and chips.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Char the vegetables
Heat a heavy dry frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion slice, unpeeled garlic and fresh chillies. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning now and then, until blackened in spots and soft. Take out the garlic and chillies as soon as they are soft, after about 6 minutes.
Toast the dried chilli
If using the chile de árbol, toast it in the hot pan for 10–15 seconds, just until it smells fragrant. Don't let it burn, or the salsa will be bitter.
Blend
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Finish and serve
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Char the vegetables
Heat a heavy dry frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion slice, unpeeled garlic and fresh chillies. Cook for 10–12 minutes, turning now and then, until blackened in spots and soft. Take out the garlic and chillies as soon as they are soft, after about 6 minutes.
Toast the dried chilli
If using the chile de árbol, toast it in the hot pan for 10–15 seconds, just until it smells fragrant. Don't let it burn, or the salsa will be bitter.
Blend
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
Finish and serve
This step is part of Foodie Premium. Subscribe to unlock the full method, cooking mode and every recipe in the library.
The Story Behind the Dish
Long before the Spanish arrived, cooks in Mexico roasted tomatoes and chillies on a clay comal and ground them in a stone molcajete. Charring brings out sweetness and a gentle smokiness, which is why salsa roja tastes so different from fresh salsas.
Every household and taquería has its own version: some use dried chillies, some blend it smooth, others keep it rough and rustic.
⭐ Why It's Famous
A good salsa roja is the soul of a taco; in Mexico, a meal without salsa on the table feels incomplete.
💡 Fun Fact
Mexicans often judge a taquería first by its salsas, before they even taste the meat.
Central Mexico
19.43°N, -99.13°W
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