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    Home » Most Recent

    Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego

    January 26, 2016 By Patrick 9 Comments

    4252 shares
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    "Got anything hotter?"

    It's a question commonly heard in taquerias and kitchens around the world.

    There's always someone in the room who needs their salsa bordering on volcanic.  Well, say hello to Fire Salsa.  

    Mexican Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego mexicanplease.com

    The beauty of this salsa is that it has flavor too, it's not just pure heat.  Yes, the heat will sneak up on you like a hungry bear, but the first taste is a rich, roasted salsa verde.

    Fire Salsa starring The King of Capsaicin

    The star here is the habanero pepper.

    Habanero peppers create volcanic heat in this lively green Fire Salsa. It's the perfect reply when someone asks "Got anything hotter?" mexicanplease.com

    Habaneros have extremely high levels of capsaicin -- upwards of 15-20 times the amount of capsaicin in a jalapeno.

    When they're ripe they turn orange so that's how you'll usually find them in the markets.  You can also get them in dried form.

    Habanero peppers create volcanic heat in this lively green Fire Salsa. It's the perfect reply when someone asks "Got anything hotter?" mexicanplease.com

    The warning you'll hear about taking caution when handling chili peppers applies even more so with habaneros.  Wash hands thoroughly after using, and try not to touch your eyes or nose when handling them.

    OK, here's our starting ingredients for Salsa del Fuego:

    Habanero peppers create volcanic heat in this lively green Fire Salsa. It's the perfect reply when someone asks "Got anything hotter?" mexicanplease.com

    Roasting the ingredients really brings out their flavor, so we'll start with that by using a foil-lined skillet on medium-high heat.

    fire salsa ingredients roasting on pan

    The idea is to get heat coursing through the ingredients to enrich their flavor.  Turning them every few minutes helps with this.

    Mexican Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego mexicanplease.com

    Some will take longer than others.  For example, the more fragile habaneros need less time in the heat than the tomatillos.

    Once they are thoroughly blackened (20 minutes for these tomatillos) then you can de-stem and add to a blender.  (Note:  if you roast the garlic with the skin on, squeeze when done and the clove will pop out of the skin.)

    Mexican Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego mexicanplease.com

    Pulse blend and serve immediately.

    You can taste for heat but most likely it will be enough.  Just to give you an idea of the heat level....

    A properly balanced salsa verde starts with one half of a serrano pepper for most people.  Here we are using 4 serranos, plus the 2 habaneros, so it will definitely be hot.  Of course, if you have professionals in attendance you can always add more habaneros.

    Habanero peppers create volcanic heat in this lively green Fire Salsa. It's the perfect reply when someone asks "Got anything hotter?" mexicanplease.com

    Having a bowl of this Fire Salsa on the serving table is great for big groups and parties.

    It's the perfect reply for when the inevitable question pops up from the back of the room:

    Got anything hotter?

    Habanero peppers create volcanic heat in this lively green Fire Salsa. It's the perfect reply when someone asks "Got anything hotter?" mexicanplease.com

    Already got some of these ingredients on hand? Here are the other Mexican recipes you can make.
    Mexican Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego mexicanplease.com

    Fire Salsa -- Salsa del Fuego

    A great salsa that will forever answer the question "Got anything hotter?"
    4.72 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 8 (2 cups)
    Calories: 13kcal
    Author: Patrick Calhoun | Mexican Please

    Ingredients

    • 4-5 tomatillos
    • 1/2 white onion
    • 4 serrano peppers
    • 2 habanero peppers
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 10 sprigs cilantro

    Instructions

    • Wash the tomatillos, peppers, and cilantro in cold water
    • Line a skillet with foil and bring up to medium-high heat
    • Roast the onion, tomatillos, serrano, habaneros, and garlic in the skillet
    • Turn frequently to blacken all sides
    • The smaller ingredients might be done earlier. For example, take off the habaneros if they start to char heavily.
    • De-stem all the ingredients and add to a blender
    • Pulse blend
    • Serve immediately

    Notes

    Some of the ingredients will be 'done' before others. You can pull them out of the skillet if they start to char considerably.
    If you roast the garlic with the skin on, squeeze when done and the clove will pop out of the skin.
    Add additional habaneros if you want even more heat.
    Like this recipe?Click the stars above to rate it or leave a comment down below! @mexplease

    Like hot stuff?  You might also like our Salsa Verde and our Chile Pequin Salsa.

    This Wicked Chipotle Chile Pequin Salsa gets serious heat from the Chile Pequins and a rich flavor from the Chipotles. So good! Keep an eye out for Chile Pequins (Piquin) in Latin markets. mexicanplease.com

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Elisabeth

      January 12, 2020 at 7:51 am

      Does roasting them give it a ‘smokey’flavor? I don’t like smokey:(

      Reply
      • Patrick

        January 13, 2020 at 2:08 pm

        Hi Elizabeth! Hmmm if you roast everything on the stovetop and get some charred bits then maybe you'll get a hint of that smoky flavor, but it will be quite mild. An alternative for your palate might be to roast the tomatillos in the oven for 15-20 minutes (400F) and skip the roasting of the other ingredients. Cheers.

        Reply
    2. Rob Dye

      October 19, 2019 at 12:06 pm

      4 stars
      I like this recipe.
      Straight to the point.

      Reply
      • Patrick

        October 19, 2019 at 12:10 pm

        Thanks Rob!

        Reply
    3. Gail Brienza

      September 26, 2019 at 8:19 pm

      Can you can this recipe?

      Reply
      • Patrick

        September 27, 2019 at 7:24 pm

        Hi Gail! To be honest I don't do any long term preserving or canning so I can't give a first hand trip report on that one for this Salsa. Sorry!

        Reply
    4. Zoila Vela

      May 05, 2019 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      Good and easy

      Reply
    5. Bob Murphy

      February 10, 2019 at 7:32 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect, follow the instructions exactly. Hot but a ton of flavor. Thanks again Patrick!

      Reply
      • Patrick

        February 11, 2019 at 5:59 pm

        Thanks Bob!

        Reply

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    Hey, I'm Patrick! I spent 2 years living in Cozumel and got obsessed with Mexican food. I built this site to share all the recipes and techniques I've learned along the way. Read More…

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