Fire Roasted Salsa

If you love chips and salsa, you will be addicted to this smoky, spicy, and oh-so-tasty Fire Roasted Salsa Recipe. This salsa goes perfectly in my California Burrito recipe or over Chicken Enchiladas.

Charred Arbol chiles are the star of the show and lend an intense flavor that's hard to duplicate. The roasted garlic, onion, and diced tomatoes round off the taste of this salsa beautifully.

Although simple on their own, the ingredients used in this salsa recipe really complement one another. So if you're looking for a smoky salsa with some kick, look no further!

The first time I had Arbol Chile Salsa was at my friend, Sonia's house. She called it "Fire Roasted Salsa." When I asked Sonia for the recipe, she said the main ingredients were dried Arbol chiles, garlic, and a few California chiles.

Sonia explained that she roasted the peppers and garlic, then emulsified them in hot water. Although I didn't get the exact measurements, I had enough information to get me started. I made the recipe a few times and I have changed it quite a bit since then. I hope you like it as much as we do!

You may also want to try my Macha Salsa recipe. It's also prepared with dried chiles, but has a totally different flavor. It's nutty, umami, and spicy!

Jump to:

• 🔖 Ingredients and substitutions
• 🌶 How to Make Fire Roasted Salsa
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips
• 🌯 Related Recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🔖 Ingredients and substitutions

• Arbol chiles: The main ingredient in this Fire Roasted Salsa Recipe is Arbol Chiles, which range from 15,000 to 30,000 SHU on the Scoville Scale (see below for more info). What this basically means is this salsa is not for the weak of heart. Although there are other chiles that are much spicier, I would definitely consider this salsa on the spicy side. Arbol Chiles give this salsa a fantastic, rich flavor.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic is roasted in a cast-iron skillet until charred before blending with the other ingredients. Jarred garlic should not be used.
• Onions: I used yellow onions in this fire-roasted salsa. White or purple onions can be substituted.
• Tomatoes: You'll need one can of diced tomatoes. You can also roast some fresh tomatoes in the pan if you prefer.

🌶 How to Make Fire Roasted Salsa

Step 1. Break stems off of Chiles and add to measuring cup until you have two cups of chiles. Add oil to a hot pan and roast chiles until they start to char.

Step 2: Place charred chiles into a bowl and cover with two cups of boiling water. Allow to stand for fifteen minutes until chiles rehydrate/soften. Stir and push chiles down into the liquid periodically.

Step 3: Meanwhile, add onion and garlic to the same pan. Roast for a few minutes until they begin to blacken. Remove from pan and add to a blender, along with the tomatoes, and blend.

Step 4: Add chiles to the blender, and puree until the desired consistency is reached. Add liquid that chiles were in to dilute the salsa further if desired. 

Step 5: Mix in vinegar, salt, and cumin. Adjust seasoning to your preference. Break out the chips and enjoy your Fire Roasted Salsa!

👩🏼‍🍳 Pro Tips

• Replace canned tomatoes with 3 broiled Roma tomatoes.
• Add fresh lime juice instead of vinegar.
• Replace some of the Arbol Chiles with milder dried chiles such as Pascilla peppers, Guajillo chiles, or Ancho chiles.
• Add a teaspoon of sugar to balance out the acidity of the salsa.

Interesting Hot Sauce Facts

•  The best way to stop your mouth from burning after consuming spicy food is by drinking milk. Milk contains a protein called Casein, which breaks down the bonds between Capsaicin (the active component of chili peppers).
• The spiciness of peppers is measured in SHU = Scoville Heat Unit. The Scoville Heat Unit is named after an American pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville, who created it. SHU measures the concentration of capsaicin in one cup of mashed pepper, and how many cups of sugar water are required to dilute it. For a more detailed explanation of how this works, Check out this informative post.
• The Carolina Reaper is currently the hottest pepper in the world at 2,200,000 SHU. The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion comes in 2nd place at 2,009,231 SHU. And  7 Pot Douglah is the third hottest, measuring at  1,853,986 SHU.
• Tabasco Hot Sauce is credited with being the oldest hot sauce brand, dating back to 1868.

🌯 Related Recipes

If you like this Fire Roasted Salsa recipe, you may also enjoy these other delicious salsas!

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