Salsa Roja (Roasted Tomato and Chilli Salsa)
A smoky, everyday Mexican table salsa made from tomatoes, garlic, onion and chillies charred in a dry pan, then blended until rough. Perfect for tacos, eggs and chips.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Char the vegetables
Heat a dry 25 cm (10-inch) heavy frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion slice, unpeeled garlic and fresh chillies, spaced so each touches the pan, and cook 10–12 minutes, turning now and then. Take the garlic and chillies out as soon as they soften, around 6 minutes; let the tomatoes and onion keep going until blackened in spots.
- 500 g tomatoes
- ¼ onion slice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2–3 serrano chillies
✅ Done when: skins blistered and blackened in spots, flesh soft
Toast the dried chilli
If using the , snap off the stem (keep the seeds for more heat, shake them out for less) and toast it in the same hot, dry pan for 10–15 seconds, turning once.
- 1
✅ Done when: fragrant and slightly darker, not burnt
Blend
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Finish and serve
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Char the vegetables
Heat a dry 25 cm (10-inch) heavy frying pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion slice, unpeeled garlic and fresh chillies, spaced so each touches the pan, and cook 10–12 minutes, turning now and then. Take the garlic and chillies out as soon as they soften, around 6 minutes; let the tomatoes and onion keep going until blackened in spots.
- 500 g tomatoes
- ¼ onion slice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2–3 serrano chillies
✅ Done when: skins blistered and blackened in spots, flesh soft
Toast the dried chilli
If using the , snap off the stem (keep the seeds for more heat, shake them out for less) and toast it in the same hot, dry pan for 10–15 seconds, turning once.
- 1
✅ Done when: fragrant and slightly darker, not burnt
Blend
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Finish and serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Long before the Spanish arrived, cooks in Mexico roasted tomatoes and chillies on a clay comal and ground them in a stone molcajete. Charring brings out sweetness and a gentle smokiness, which is why salsa roja tastes so different from fresh salsas.
Every household and taquería has its own version: some use dried chillies, some blend it smooth, others keep it rough and rustic.
⭐ Why It's Famous
A good salsa roja is the soul of a taco; in Mexico, a meal without salsa on the table feels incomplete.
💡 Fun Fact
Mexicans often judge a taquería first by its salsas, before they even taste the meat.
Central Mexico
19.43°N, -99.13°W
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