A Versatile Mild Salsa
Try this very simple salsa made with guajillo chile peppers, a mild dried chile with a complex fruity flavor. It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico for making salsas.
In this recipe, the chiles aren’t toasted as they are in many other salsa recipes which allows the flavor of the guajillo to come through.
Don’t like your salsas too hot? This is a good one for you, rich chile flavor but with less burn. This a versatile salsa that goes well with many dishes.
Try this guajillo chile sauce on tacos, enchiladas, chicken, scrambled eggs or on cactus salad.
This type of salsa is typical in the state of Guanajuato. It’s perfect for making enchiladas mineras.
How to Make
Gather your ingredients:
- 16 guajillo chiles, also called chile cascabel ancho
- 4 cloves of garlic
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 4 cups of water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon salt + as needed
Choosing Guajillo Chiles
Choose peppers that are soft and pliable that have a mild fresh fruity smell. Brittle chiles are stale, lack flavor, and may be bitter. Learn more about how to choose guajillo peppers.
Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the chiles. Discard.
Peel the cloves of garlic.
Chop the cilantro. You can use the stems.
Put all the ingredients in a saucepan. Add just enough water to cover the ingredients, about 2 cups.
Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Allow the ingredients to soak for 15 minutes.
Notice how the chiles have absorbed water and changed color after the have reconstituted.
Pour all of the ingredients including 2 cups of the soaking water into the blender.
Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a little soaking water if needed to blend.
Strain the mixture back into a bowl. Press the remaining pulp firmly with the back of your spoon to release all of the flavor.
Discard the pulp that remains in the strainer.
Now it’s time to season the sauce. You do this by frying the base in hot oil. Start by heating a pan to medium-hot then add 2 tablespoons. of cooking oil.
Pour the chile base into the hot oil. Add up to 1 cup of soaking water to get the desired consistency.
At this point, the sauce will be a little bit runny and will lightly coat the back of a spoon. It will thicken as it simmers.
Season with 1 teaspoon of salt. At the end of cooking, you can add more salt to taste if needed.
Turn the heat to low then simmer the salsa for 30 minutes until it thickens. At this point, the sauce will coat the back of a spoon without being too runny.
The salsa will take on a beautiful dark red color during simmering. Looks delicious, doesn’t it?
Rest the Salsa for Best Flavor
Let the salsa rest for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors to come together. Try not to skip this step. Resting 4 to 6 hours gives even better results.
Adjusting the Salsa
- If the salsa is too thick, add ¼ cup of water at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- If the salsa is too thin, simmer until enough water has evaporated until the desired consistency is reached.
- If you find the salsa to be too bitter for your tastes, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to reduce the bitterness.
Equipment needed:
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan
- Blender
- Strainer
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen spoon
Provecho! Let us know what you think of this recipe in the comments below.
Guajillo Chile Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 guajillo chiles also called chile cascabel ancho
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 3 to 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Remove the stems, seeds, and veins from the chiles. Discard.
- Peel the cloves of garlic.
- Chop the cilantro. You can use the stems.
- Put all the ingredients in a pan.
- Add just enough water to cover the ingredients, about 4 cups.
- Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
- Simmer for 1 minute then turn off the heat.
- Allow the ingredients to soak for 15 minutes. The dried chiles will reconstitute at this time.
- Pour all of the ingredients including 2 cups the soaking water into the blender.
- Blend until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add a little water if needed to blend.
- Strain the mixture into mixing a bowl. Discard the paste that remains in the strainer.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in your saucepan over medium heat then add the strained salsa and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Turn the heat to low. Add up to a cup of soaking water to get the desired consistency.
- Simmer the salsa for 30 minutes until it thickens. The salsa will darken in color during this time.
- Taste the salsa and add salt if needed to get the desired taste.
Notes
- The flavor of the salsa will deepen if you let is rest for a few hours before serving.
- If you find the salsa to be too bitter for your tastes, add 1 tablespoon of sugar to reduce the bitterness.
- This salsa freezes well. Portion it in freezer bags and it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Judy Crawford says
Can this sauce be frozen?
Jupiter Rios says
Sauce turned out delicious and as it cooked it takes on this silky beautiful red color that my Aunt from Guanajuato would prepare for us as young children.
Douglas Cullen says
Awesome! I am glad you liked it!
Lu Schneider says
Love this salsa i added 2 chilies puya to my last batch
Cathy Cullen says
This is just what I was looking for. It has that nice deep Guajillo flavor. Thank you!
Emma says
Es mejor usar caldo de pollo, o agua en lugar de el agua donde se hidrataron los chiles, porque eso le da un sabor amargo.
Dean says
Just came back from a month on the coast of Oaxaca where 125cc motos are everywhere, kids are free-range, and Guajillo is king. Haven’t made this salsa YET but mainly wanted to leave a comment to say that the advertising on this web page is 5x to 8x overboard. Chill out, share your learning, join the world community–you don’t need to go to the grave with 20s hanging out of your pockets. (I’ll report back when I make the salsa.) Good day!
Molly says
It is a free website Dean, lol. Beggars can’t be choosers
Allyson says
This salsa is excellent! And so easy! I’m thinking it would also be good as an enchilada sauce or a marinade. I couldn’t tell any difference between this and the ones where you toast the chilis. I think I’ll boil everything from now on!
Carol Montag says
This is very labor intensive. As well, the sauce stains everything, from wooden spoons to spatulas to anything it touches. Unhappily, it is one if the most boring sauces I have ever tasted.
I would suggest doubling the garlic, adding a green herb, like thyme and parsley, definitely a T of sugar.
That might help, but not enough for me. I won’t make it again
Kathy chase says
A different kind of salsa for me. I liked th flavor! I think this would be an excellent sauce for lack beans!
Camilla M Coy says
Using the soaking water is what imbues the bitter taste. You should never have to balance our bitterness by adding sugar to a salsa. No way! Use plain water.