Description
This salsa roja keeps the classic red, tangy, smoky feel, but it uses fresh jalapeños so it’s built around ingredients most people can actually find. The tomatoes bring body, the jalapeños bring clean heat, and a quick simmer helps the flavors settle into something fuller and more balanced.
Ingredients
🍅 Base
- 1½ lb / 680 g Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- 4 oz / 115 g white onion, cut into thick wedges
- 2 jalapeños
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
🌿 Bright finish
- ¼ cup / 8 g cilantro leaves and tender stems
- 2 tbsp / 30 ml lime juice
🧂 Seasoning & optional upgrade
- 1 tsp / 6 g kosher salt
- ¼ cup / 60 ml water, plus more as needed
Instructions
Broil the vegetables
- Set an oven rack about 4 to 6 inches from the heat and preheat the broiler to high, about 500–550°F / 260–290°C.
- Arrange the tomatoes cut side up on the sheet pan. Add the onion wedges, jalapeños, and garlic cloves.
- Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the jalapeños and garlic halfway through, until the tomatoes are blistered and slumped, the onion has dark edges, and the jalapeños are blackened in spots and softened.
- Let everything cool for 10 minutes. Peel the garlic, remove the jalapeño stems, and peel off any loose jalapeño skin for a smoother salsa.
Blend the salsa
- Add the tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and ¼ cup / 60 ml water to the blender.
- Blend for 15 to 30 seconds, until as smooth or chunky as you like.
- If the salsa looks too thick, blend in 1 to 2 tablespoons more water until it reaches a loose, spoonable consistency.
Finish and adjust
- Pour the salsa into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes, stirring once or twice.
- Taste and adjust with a little more salt or lime juice if needed.
- Let it cool slightly before serving. Success looks like a deep red-orange salsa that lightly coats a spoon, smells bright and toasty, and has no harsh raw onion bite.
Notes
- Let the broiled vegetables cool a little before blending, because the flavor settles and the blender works more cleanly.
- If you want a brighter salsa for tacos, stop blending a little sooner so it keeps a slightly looser, more rustic texture.
- Taste with a tortilla chip or on food, not just off a spoon, because the salt and heat read differently once the salsa is paired with something.
- Start with less added water if your tomatoes look especially juicy, since you can always loosen the salsa later.
- A short simmer makes a real difference here, because it takes the edge off the onion and gives the whole salsa a fuller taste.
- Peel off any loose burnt jalapeño skin if you want a smoother finish and a cleaner chile flavor.
- This salsa often tastes even better after a short rest, once the lime, chile, and tomato have a little time to settle together.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
- Cuisine: Mexican