It is a mixture of various ingredients made to dress or season food.
This soupy concoction can be made and served hot or cold.
The function of a salsa is to add a flavor that harmonizes with the main dish.
Chile-based salsas are archetypical of Mexican cuisine.
They can be quick and simple or highly complex.
Some salsas are provided for guests on the table before the food even arrives. Other salsas are used to season dishes inside the kitchen.
Types of salsas
Raw salsas: raw ingredients used.
Cooked salsas: ingredients have been cooked before blending into a salsa.
Mixed salsas:
Emulsions
Pickled chipotles
Marinades
Why is salsa essential to a taco?
Everyone knows that the secret of a good taco is in its sauce. In fact, the purpose of salsa is to accompany food, improving, contrasting or complementing its flavor.ย
Donโt forget that salsas in Mexico are indispensable and they must include the king of all ingredients: the chili pepper!
Tools used in the preparations of salsas
Molcajete
The molcajete is a pre-Hispanic stone mortar and pestle. Using a molcajete to make your salsa takes longer than using an electric blender, but the results are noticeably better. Salsas made by hand in a molcajete taste of tradition.
For best results, be sure to follow these tips:
Always begin with salt, followed by the dry ingredients of the salsa recipe.
To save time, chop the ingredients beforehand.
Roast and grind chiles, tomatoes and onions in advance.
For Best Results
The secret of using a molcajete is patience, and the extra effort is worth it! But of course, modernity has its place too. If you donโt have a molcajete, use your blender!
If you are going to use fresh chilesโฆ
To reduce the kick of your salsa, remove the seeds and veins using a knife.
A second way to reduce the spiciness is to let the deseeded and deveined chiles sit for an hour in a bowl of water with salt and a few drops of vinegar. Then drain and rinse them before cooking.
Once the chiles are roasted, remove them from the heat and place them inside a plastic bag for 15 minutes, causing them to โsweat.โ Finally, clean them under running water.
*Comal: a traditional kitchen tool (made with clay or metal) used as a cooking griddle; similar to a flat frying pan.
If you are going to use dried chilesโฆ
Clean the chiles with a moistened kitchen towel.
If you are grinding chiles, seeds and veins must be removed from the top. It helps soak them in water beforehand.
If the salsa recipe asks that you โawakenโ the flavor and aroma of the chiles, roast them on a comal or directly over the flame. You should be careful not to burn them or they turn sour!
If the salsa recipe calls for rehydrated chiles, soak the chiles in a bowl, covering them with water, add some salt and a few drops of vinegar.
Dried chiles can also be fried and served as a side dish.
Other salsa ingredients: tomatoes and onions
The easiest way to peel raw red tomatoes is to place them in boiling water for a minute. Allow them to cool and remove the skin.
If the recipe calls for green tomatoes (tomatillos), first wash them under running water, and peel off the skin using the same techniques mentioned above.
If the flavor of raw onion is too strong for you, slice the onion and soak it in water with salt and a few drops of lime juice for half an hour. Drain.
Recipes: Salsas prepared with Altos tequila
Drunken salsa with Altos tequila reposadoย
makes 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
6 dried ancho chiles
1 dried pasilla chile
2 tablespoons corn oil
50 ml Altos reposado
1 garlic clove
50 ml fresh orange juice
50 g aged cheese, grated
sea salt
ยฝ onion, sliced
Method:
Roast or fry the chiles in oil for 3-5 minute over low heat. Be careful not to burn them. Remove the seeds. Grind the chiles, Altos tequila, garlic, and orange juice in a blender or molcajete until smooth. Pour the salsa into a bowl and add the cheese and salt to taste. Garnish with slices of onion and serve.
Drunken salsa with Altos tequila plataย ย
makes 1 1/2 cups
Ingredients:
4 dried ancho chiles
4 dried pasilla chiles
2 tablespoons corn oil
250 ml Altos plata
6 medium tomatillos
2 medium tomatoes
1 garlic clove
sea salt
50 ml fresh orange juice
ยฝ medium onion, chopped
50 g aged cheese, grated
Method:
Roast or fry the chiles in oil for 3-5 minute over a low heat. Be careful not to burn them. Remove the seeds. Soak the seedless chiles in Altos plata in a bowl for 20 minutes. Grind the tomatillos and the garlic in a molcajete. Add the chiles and Altos plata and grind together until well combined. Add the salt, orange juice and cheese. Serve.
Elmyโs Margarita
Recipe by Jacopo Rosito
makes a batch of approximately 110 pre diluted 102 ml drinks that should be chilled before serving
Ingredients:
6000 ml Altos Blanco
3000 ml agave syrup 1:1
3000 ml clear sour mix
300 g serrano tincture
1200 ml filtered water
For clear sour mix
1l filtered water
30 g citric acid
20 g malic acid
10 tartaric acid
2,8 g of baking soda
1-2 lemon zest
For serrano tincture
100g serrano peppers
200g Altos Plata
Method:
For clear sour mix, combine acids into water until diluted. Then, while mixing, add the baking soda until bubbling stops. Put lemon zest and rest over the night.
For serrano tincture, combine the ingredients together and vacuum sealed. Cook at 70 degrees or 160 Fahrenheit for one hour. Ice bath when is done. Keep everything well refrigerated. Serve 90 ml per cocktail.