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Here's a simple recipe for a fiery, concentrated batch of Salsa Roja. We use this as a topper sauce for tacos, grilled meats, and even eggs! mexicanplease.com
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4.48 from 17 votes

Salsa Roja

Here's a simple recipe for a fiery, concentrated batch of Salsa Roja.    
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 21kcal
Author: Mexican Please

Ingredients

  • 6 Guajillo dried chiles
  • 2 Ancho dried chiles (or 3 smaller Anchos)
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1 chipotle in adobo (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • freshly cracked black pepper
  • splash cider vinegar
  • 2.5 cups water
  • olive oil

Instructions

  • Start by roasting the tomatoes in a 400F oven.   
  • Use a damp towel to wipe off any dusty crevasses on the dried chiles.  To de-seed them it's easiest to cut off the stem and make a slit lengthwise, then use your hands to pull out the ribs and seeds.
  • Saute 1/2 onion and 3 whole garlic cloves in a dollop of oil over medium heat.  When the onion starts to soften add the dried chiles.  (It's worth cutting the chiles into smaller pieces before adding them to the pan.)
  • Let the chiles cook for a few minutes and then add the roasted tomatoes to the pan along with:  1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, 2.5 cups water.  (I also add 1 chipotle in adobo and 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce but this is optional.)
  • Simmer for 5 minutes or so and then add everything to a blender and combine well.
  • Strain the sauce over a mixing bowl and discard the leftover solids.  You might have to use a spoon or spatula to push the sauce through the strainer.
  • Taste for salt level.  I added another pinch of salt along with a splash of cider vinegar.   
  • Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge (in a squeeze bottle!). 

Notes

If you don't have Mexican oregano on hand I would probably just omit it rather than using regular oregano. 
 
Normally tomatoes need about 20-25 minutes in the oven to fully roast.  When there is a final simmer involved, as there is in this recipe, I tend to just pull the tomatoes out of the oven when I need them, knowing that the simmer will add a finishing blast of heat to them. 

Nutrition

Calories: 21kcal