(This Wicked Chipotle Chile Pequin Salsa relies on chipotles for flavor and chile pequins for heat! Jump to recipe here.)
As chili peppers get smaller they tend to get hotter. And Chile Pequins are real small.
Their capsaicin level is 5-10 times stronger than a jalapeno so consider yourself warned, they are one of the hottest chilis you’ll come across.
You’ll also frequently see them on the ingredient list of your favorite hot sauces.
As seen above, they are typically paired with other chilis as their subtle, nutty flavor is less robust than their dominant heat. That’s what we’ll be doing here: pairing the Chile Pequin with Chipotles in Adobo to create a wicked salsa that has the best of both worlds.
Recipe for Wicked Hot Chipotle Chile Pequin (Piquin) Salsa
You’ll notice quite a difference if you roast the tomatoes and chilis before blending them together. You can pan roast the tomatoes but lately I just throw them in the oven at 400F.
Pick through the Chile Pequins and remove any stems or hardened chilis. We are using 1/8 cup of Pequin, this is roughly 25-30 chilis. (How To Handle Hot Chili Peppers.)
After about 15-20 minutes the tomatoes will be roasted (enough) and you can add the Chili Pequins to the roasting pan.
The Pequins are tiny and only need about 1-2 minutes in the oven to roast. Anything longer than that and they’ll burn and turn bitter.
Once done, add to a blender along with 2 garlic cloves, 3 chipotles in adobo, a sliver of onion, a couple tablespoons of water, a pinch of salt and a splash of vinegar.
We aren’t using much onion at all here, maybe a couple tablespoons worth. The idea is to create a sharp, concentrated sauce to be used one drop at a time. Adding additional onion would dilute the salsa too much.
And if you are new to Chipotles in Adobo you’ll find them in the Latin goods section of most supermarkets or in any Hispanic market.
Pulse blend until the ingredients are combined. And a friendly warning: don’t give it a smell after blending as you’ll get a homemade version of pepper spray coming at ya!
You’ll end up with a wicked hot sauce that packs real heat from the Chile Pequins but also has a rich, complex flavor from the Chipotles.
This salsa works best as a topper sauce, i.e. the final touch on a taco or burrito. The splash of vinegar will help it keep for weeks at a time in the fridge so you can think of it as your own personal hot sauce that’s always on standby.
Use it one drop at a time until you acclimatize to the heat because it’s hot in here.
Wicked eh?
Buen Provecho.
Wicked Hot Chipotle Chile Pequin Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 Roma tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons onion
- 1/8 cup Chile Pequin (approx. 25-30 chilis)
- 3 chipotles in adobo
- salt
- splash of vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Roast the tomatoes in the oven at 400F for 15-20 minutes
- Pick through 1/8 cup of Chile Pequins (25-30 chilis) and remove any stems or hardened chilis
- Add the Chile Pequins to the roasting pan and roast for 1-2 minutes
- Add the tomatoes and Chile Pequins to a blender along with 3 chipotles in adobo, a sliver of onion, 2 garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, 2-3 tablespoons of water, and a splash of vinegar.
- Pulse blend until ingredients thoroughly combined
- Serve immediately
Notes
Chile Pequins would also work good in our Peanut Chile Salsa.
Still hungry? You might also like our spicy Black Bean Nachos.
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Jen
I have yet to make this, but had a few questions before I do. I’m picking my peppers straight from my garden. Am I ok to mix ripe red ones, and some that are still green? Would it still be 20-30? Also using cherry tomatoes, since I have A TON..would this still work? I’m trying to do this mainly from my garden. Also, suggestions on canning it or making batches?
Patrick
Hey Jen you are so lucky to have fresh Pequins in the garden! I would stick with the red ones for the first batch and then maybe experiment with the green ones down the road. And if you have fresh cherry tomatoes too then I would just go for it. I never use those for Salsa but like you I would be tempted to make a “fresh from the garden” batch just to see how it works for the palate.
And I have to admit that I am a big proponent of freshly made Salsa and don’t really do any long term Salsa preserving — it will always taste best when it’s freshly blended so I tend to make it in smaller batches.
I hope it turns out well for you! Cheers.
Steve
Regarding using fresh tomatoes from the garden: I made several batches of fresh salsa this year with tomatoes and peppers from my garden. Any type of tomato will work fine, and I bet cherry tomatoes will be fantastic. That being said, it can turn out a little bit watery, so I blend the tomatoes, peppers, onion, etc.(everything but the spices) to the desired consistency, then I pour all of that into a large strainer and let the water run out for a minute or two. Then I transfer that either back into the blender or into a mixing bowl and add the lime and spices. and finish it up. p.s. I don’t think I have ever made salsa the same way twice, but my constants are tomatoes, peppers, salt, lime, and cumin. Just go for it and it will be great.
Faith
The recipe is a good reliable start point. I emblished slightly by adding mexican oregano, red peter peppers, onion, apple juice in place of water. Increased liquids (vinegar & apple juice) than listed in order to have it pourable. Sauce came out great. While very hot and spicy we found it to be palatable and pleasing. The apple juice gives a slight fruity sweetness. lNot for the faint. I looked at several chili pequin sauce recipes and came back to this one several times. Maybe my pequins are not as hot as other folks. I will keep this in my recipe book. Thanks for sharing. Its carne
a la parrilla este noche.
Patrick
Hey thanks much for your note Faith, it’s super helpful to hear your adjustments! Cheers.
Donald Jackson
I am making my own chipotles in adobo sauce. My Chile Pequins are not ready yet, but when they are I will combine them with my homemade sauce. This should really be good. I will let you know how it works out.
Patrick
Oh nice, sounds awesome 😉
Portia
I so need to try this! My mouth is watering as I think about it. Also have to have my niece try it as she loves really hot foods. Thanks for the recipe.
Ashley
I am about to make this right now. I have never had this before but it sounds really good.
Patrick
Awesome, get ready for some HEAT!
Esther
My brother & I were just talking about this salsa last night! Our parents made the best, but I never learned how to make it. Now I have your recipe; the closest to what I remember. Thanks for posting. My sib will be in hog heaven!
Patrick
Ha awesome, hope you guys enjoy it. P.S. it’s hot 🙂
Steve
I wish I had found this site before I dumped a whole package of these peppers into a curry without knowing how hot they were. Holy hell it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever made. Looks like I’ll have to try this salsa next, at least I could measure it out before adding to a dish. 🙂 Thanks!
Patrick
Ha I have done the same thing before Steve. One of the dead giveaways I now know is the smaller the pepper, the hotter the pepper. And Chile Pequins are tiny. And lethal 🙂
Nico @ yumsome
Holy c**p – those things are mega-hot! I find that half of one is just right for curries but any more has me in tears! I can’t imagine how hot your sauce must be!
(Hard to believe I lived in Thailand for a couple of years, right?)
In saying that though, this does look and sound utterly delicious, so I’m tempted to make a small amount, just to try it out.
(Although given that I’ve never seen chipotles in adobo in any shop I’ve ever been in, I suspect I’d have to make that part before making this sauce.)
By the way, when your email came through, I totally read it as using *penguin* chillies!
Patrick
Ha, it’s true, ‘penguin’ chilis are wicked hot 🙂 Maybe I should subtitle this post “One Drop at a Time”? 🙂