Chile de Arbol Salsa

I was so excited to find this chile de arbol salsa recipe on MJ’s Kitchen because I’ve had a bag of arbol chiles sitting in my cupboard for a while now, and I really need to use them up. I loved that the recipe has you cook the chiles with garlic cloves and coriander seed in some oil for about 10 minutes, which really brought out a ton of flavor in all of them. The leftover oil is fantastic for cooking any Mexican recipes and sautéing veggies, etc. We all thought the salsa was delicious–it turned out a little sweet, tangy, and very spicy. This arbol salsa paired nicely with tortilla chips and chicken tacos.

Chile de Arbol Salsa

Ingredients:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 8 dried arbol chile pods, stems removed
• 2 large whole garlic cloves
• ¼ tsp coriander seeds
• 1 (14-oz can) fire-roasted tomatoes, juices drained
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 ½ tsp vinegar
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

 

How to Make Chile de Arbol Salsa:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the dried chile pods, whole garlic cloves, and coriander seeds and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

Pour the oil through a fine strainer into a jar; set aside.

Place the chile pods, garlic cloves, and coriander seeds in a blender along with 1 teaspoon of the reserved oil and ¼ cup of drained fire-roasted tomatoes. Blend until a smooth paste forms. Pour it into a small container.

For a medium-heat salsa, add 2 tablespoons of paste back to the blender. For a hot salsa, add 3 tablespoons of paste. For very hot salsa, add all of the paste back to the blender. Side Note: Seal the container and store any leftover paste in the refrigerator until you want to make more salsa. 

Add 1 teaspoon of the reserved oil to the skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Side Note: Store remaining oil in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Use for sautéing meats, veggies, eggs, and all Mexican food.

Add the remaining drained fire-roasted tomatoes, the paste, and vinegar to the blender. Pulse a few times until you have the preferred consistency. Taste, then re-season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Add the chopped cilantro, then mix until thoroughly combined.

Pour the salsa into an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours to let the flavors mingle.

Serve at room temperature with your favorite tortilla chips and Mexican food. Enjoy!