Salsa Negra Recipe

square crop of a bowl of salsa with a tortilla chip in it.

5 from 1 vote

Salsa Negra is a beautiful deep rich color with a bold flavor. And, making it at home allows you to control how spicy it is. Perfect for fish tacos or chips, and don’t forget that big football game that’s coming up – you need this on your appetizer line up!

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword condiment, salsa

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

soaking time 30

Total Time 55

Servings servings

Calories 23kcal

Author Debi

Ingredients

4 dried pasilla chili pods or other large dark red chile peppers
2 pounds roma tomatoes
2 fresh poblano peppers
1 medium red onion peeled and roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper
4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Place the dried chili pods in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Place a small plate or bowl on top of them to keep them submerged. Let soak for 30 minutes. Once the 30 minutes are up, drain the soaking liquid off, reserving about 1/3 cup of the liquid.
Preheat the broiler to high, 500° F, and set the rack at the highest setting.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the soaked pasilla chili pods, roma tomatoes, whole fresh poblano peppers, chopped red onion, and whole jalapeno pepper on it.
Broil the veggies for about 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are blackened all over.
Working in batches, blend the veggies in the food processor until finely minced, or your desired chunkiness. Start with the onion and garlic in the food processor. Once finely chopped, place in a large bowl, and add the salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, and soy sauce.
Remove the stem end of the roasted tomatoes, and roughly chop in half. Puree, in the food processor, working in batches if necessary. Add the tomato puree to the bowl with the onions and spices.
Remove and discard the stems from all the peppers. For a milder salsa, remove the membranes and seeds from the peppers. For a spicy salsa, leave the seeds and membranes of the peppers.
Puree the peppers in the food processor, and add them to the bowl. Stir in the olive oil, and stir until everything is well combined. If the salsa is too thick, stir in some of the reserved chile soaking liquid.
Cover and refrigerate until cold. Taste the salsa prior to serving, and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Notes

I like to make mine medium spicy by leaving the membranes and the seeds out of the salsa. You can make it spicier with by adding the ribs and seeds. You can also up the heat with an additional jalapeno pepper.

You don’t have to remove the skins after roasting. They blend right into the salsa.

You can roast the peppers on the grill if you prefer. Just lay the peppers on the grill grates and let them blacken, turning them a few times while they roast. The onion can be cut into large pieces and grilled as well.

The peppers can also be roasted on a gas stove. Place the peppers on the stove grates and turn often with long handled tongs. Be careful as you do this, they can catch fire. And, I find that it makes the house smell quite a bit.

I actually like the salsa best when it’s made at least a couple of hours ahead. I find that the flavors meld together really well. Place it in glass mason jars of other air tight containers and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

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