Mexican Habanero Salsa
A Yucatán-style tomato and habanero salsa. The vegetables are pan-roasted, blended, and then fried in hot oil, which gives the salsa a deeper, rounder flavor. Habaneros have a fruity taste and are very hot, not for the faint of heart. One chile makes a medium-hot salsa. Use two or more if you like it really hot.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 61kcal
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe tomatoes about 1 lb.
- 2 habanero chiles
- ½ white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the tomatoes and chiles and quarter the tomatoes and onion.
- Preheat 1 tbsp. oil to medium-hot. Cook the tomatoes, onion, habaneros, and garlic until they start to brown, about 10 minutes.
- Blend the browned tomatoes, onion, habaneros, and garlic with the salt and vinegar until smooth.
- Heat 2 tbsp. of oil to hot. Once the oil is hot, pour the blended salsa into the hot oil to "season" it.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the salsa darkens and thickens. Taste and adjust the salt. For a thinner salsa, simmer for less time or stir in a splash of water.
Video
Notes
Reducing the Heat
One habanero makes a medium-hot salsa, two makes it hot, and three or more is very hot. For less heat, cut out the seeds and the pale veins before cooking. That’s where most of the heat is.
A Word of Caution
Habanero chiles are very hot. If you touch your mouth or eyes after handling them it will burn. Wash your hands thoroughly after working with chiles. Wearing gloves will help you avoid an uncomfortable situation.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 61kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 290mg | Sugar: 2g