Milder Tomato Chile de Arbol Salsa

Homemade salsa that tastes like the taqueria salsa, but just milder. If you’re looking for a flavorful chile de arbol salsa but made just a bit milder then you must try my tomato chile de arbol salsa!

Why Does Restaurant Salsa Taste So Good

Have you ever been to a Mexican restaurant and wondered why their tomato chile de arbol salsa taste so good?

Have you ever wanted to replicate those flavors at home?

I’ll share a little (not-so) secret of why those restaurant salsas taste so delicious: fresh ingredients.

Yep that’s really pretty much it.

Fresh and seasonal ingredients, I believe, is the key to cooking great authentic Mexican food.

Of course as long as you have access to the traditional ingredients you’ll always be able to replicate the true flavors of Mexican cuisine at home.

Tomato Chile de Arbol Salsa

Today I’m going to share with you a super easy red salsa recipe that you’re going to love because it tastes just like a taqueria‘s salsa.

It won’t take too long to prepare and I promise once you make it you’ll quickly get the hang of salsa making, so that you can enjoy fresh, authentic, and flavorful salsa whenever the craving strikes.

This salsa calls for chiles de arbol, which roughly translate to chilies from the tree.

Chile de Arbol Is Spicy, This Salsa Is Mild Spicy

I like spicy food, but there’s some that’s just a bit too spicy for me.

Chile de arbol is very spicy, so when I eat it I need to tone down the heat.

A little warning about these long red dried chilies, they pack quite the heat.

So if you’re not into that you’ll want to really cut down the amount of peppers you use.

BUT if you love spicy then feel free to use as much chile de arbol as you’d like.

I do have to tell you that my heat tolerance is about medium and though this salsa was a little spicy it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.

The other ingredients help balance the heat so that it’s not the only thing that you taste.

This may be a milder chile de arbol salsa, but the results are still delicious, just milder.

Where To Buy Chile de Arbol

Chiles de arbol are commonly used in Mexican cooking, so they’re not difficult to find.

Chiles de arbol are sold both fresh and dried. Today we’ll be using dried chiles the arbol.

These chiles typically come packaged in small see through plastic bags. Though many Mexican food stores will also have them in piles alongside other dried chiles.

Look for dried chiles at the ethnic food isle of your local grocery store. If not find a Hispanic market, or there’s always Amazon.

This brand seems to be quite popular on Amazon. Here in Mexico I’ll either buy the ones from the pile or Tajin brand. Choose what’s available to you.

Ingredients Needed

One of the reasons I love making this tomato chile de arbol salsa so much is because the ingredients list is short and everything is easy to get.

• chile de arbol
• tomato
• white onion
• garlic
• lime juice
• epazote, optional
• salt

As I previously mentioned, the other ingredients in the salsa work to help not only tone down the heat, but to add more depth of flavor.

Epazote is completely optional. I don’t always add it.

The lime juice only add if you’re going to be serving the salsa right away. If you’re sautéing the salsa for later use then omit the lime juice. You can always add a squeeze later on.

By the way did you know that the citrus acid in lime juice helps tone down spicy heat?

Other Ingredients

If you’d like you could also add a small handful of cilantro to the blender. This will give your salsa a different taste and texture.

If you’d rather use tomatillos for this salsa then simply swap out the roma tomatoes.

How to Make Tomato Chile de Arbol Salsa

There are two different ways you can prepare this salsa: boiling the ingredients or roasting them.

Boiling may be quicker, but roasting will give more flavor.

• Roast the tomatoes, onion, garlic and chiles on a hot comal.*
• Turn the ingredients now and then to help even cooking.
• Remove the chiles after 1 minute and the garlic once softened.
• Remove the onion and tomatoes once they are softened and evenly charred.
• Place the roasted veggies in a blender.
• Pour in the lime juice, drop in the epazote if using, sprinkle in the salt.
• Blend until smooth and to your desired consistency.
• Serve immediately or sauté in hot oil for 10 minutes – don’t add lime juice if roasting.

More Mexican Salsa Recipes to Try

• Salsa Taquera
• Molcajete Salsa Recipe
• Spicy Fire Roasted Habanero Peppers Salsa
• Quick and Easy Fresh Tomato Salsa
• Pico de Gallo Salsa
• Mango Pico de Gallo
• The EASIEST Salsa Verde

How to Serve

This salsa can be used for topping tacos, quesadillas, empanadas, tostadas, tortas, burritos, even hamburgers and hot dogs…or anything that you’d like.

Additionally it’s perfect for dipping corn chips into or even to cook with.

You could even mix the salsa with some Mexican crema or sour cream and create a spicy cream sauce.

If you want to cook with it I suggest marinating some veggies in it for about a half hour then either grilling or roasting them.

Ah, the beauty about salsas is that the possibilities are endless.