This is a quick and easy salsa that you can prepare in about 10 minutes if you’re in a pinch for a snack. The combination of the roasted tomatoes and garlic with the spicy serrano chili peppers is wonderful, but not overpoweringly hot. If you think the heat is too much add some more of the cilantro and a little water to cut it down.
You can also get creative with what you add into this salsa, I love throwing in some cooked black beans and corn, but you can try any combination that you like, enjoy!
Makes About 1 and 1/2 Cups Salsa
1 Pound Fresh Tomatoes
4 – 5 Serrano Chili Peppers
3 Garlic Cloves, Unpeeled
1 Small White Onion, Finely Chopped
1/3 Cup Cilantro, Chopped
1 and ½ Teaspoons Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon White Sugar (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Cumin Seeds
¼ Cup Water (Optional)
1 – 2 Teaspoons Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice (Optional)
Suggested Usages:
Served on the Side of Eggs fro Breakfast
Served with Tortilla Chips and Vegetables for Dipping
Served with Burritos, Tacos, or Enchiladas
Used as a Marinade for Grilling
- Turn on the oven on to broil and arrange the 1 pound of fresh tomatoes onto a baking sheet
- Place the baking sheet into the broiler, with the tomatoes about 4 inches away from the flame, and allow them to roast until blackened and blistered on one side, about 5 minutes
- Turn the tomatoes over using tongs and roast the other side until blackened and blistered, about another 5 minutes
- Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and allow the tomatoes to cool
- While the tomatoes are cooling, heat an un-greased, non-stick griddle or skillet over medium – high heat and add:
- 4 – 5 Serrano chili peppers, left whole
- 3 Cloves garlic, unpeeled
- Roast the 4 -5 serrano chili peppers and the 3 cloves garlic turning both few minutes, until blackened in spots and soft to the touch, about 5 – 8 minutes for the serrano peppers (remove the chili peppers once they are done, the garlic will have to continue roasting for a few more minutes) and about 10 – 13 minutes for the garlic cloves
- Cool the roasted chilies and garlic until they can be easily handled and remove the stems from the chilies and peel and remove any hard ends from the garlic cloves
- Remove the roasted tomatoes from the baking sheet, collecting any left over juices, and add them into a blender or food processor, and add:
- The 4 – 5 roasted, stemmed serrano chili peppers
- The 3 roasted, peeled garlic cloves
- With the blender or food processor set on a pulse, purée the ingredients together until all of the ingredients are mixed into a rather coarse purée, careful not to make the mixture to blended
- Remove the salsa from the blender or food processor into a large bowl and add:
- 1 Small white onion, finely chopped, and held under cold running water for 30 seconds, with excess water removed
- 1/3 Cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 and ½ Teaspoons sea salt
- ½ Teaspoon white sugar, if needed
- 1 Teaspoon freshly ground cumin seeds
- ¼ Cup water, but only if the salsa is to thick and you would like a runnier salsa, if you like the consistency of the salsa before adding the water then skip this step and enjoy!
