This mild salsa minimizes effort and maximizes flavor by using canned fire roasted tomatoes and jarred roasted red hatch chiles.
Total Time: 5 minutes
You have been looking for it and you have found it. This is an easy fire roasted salsa recipe. A jar of hatch chiles, a can of fire roasted tomatoes, onion, cilantro, vinegar, and some seasonings. You can opt for fresh lime juice, or just use vinegar from your pantry. Distilled white vinegar is my choice, apple cider vinegar would be my second choice.
Because we are blending this fire roasted tomato and red hatch chile salsa, knife cuts don’t really matter either.
I first made this specific salsa because I purchased Zia’s sweet and mild red hatch chiles. They were on the same shelf as all the other jarred salsas, so I actually thought this was a salsa when I purchased it. I opened a bag of tortilla chips (I’m partial to the trader joe’s flaxseed chips myself) and then I opened the jar to discover that this was no salsa! But I wanted salsa. I really did, ya’ll. So I decided to make one.
I grabbed a can of fire roasted tomatoes, so that I could get that roasted flavor with no work, my blender, chopped up a few ingredients, and let it rip. Then I ate it. The end.
Key ingredients
Fire Roasted Tomatoes: These canned tomatoes have been roasted over an open flame, so by opting for canned fire roasted tomatoes you are imparting more flavor to your salsa with absolutely no effort on your part. You can find these in any grocery store. I always go for organic when I have the option.
Red Hatch Chile: The same logic applies to the fire roasted hatch chiles. They have already been roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced. All you have to do is open the jar and empty the contents into your blender. I used Zia’s sweet and mild red hatch chiles.
Special equipment
Recipe tips and variations
For this salsa, you can order the red hatch chiles I used online. In a pinch, you could substitute roasted red peppers. I would add smoked paprika or chipotles in adobe as well for this substitution.
You could opt for regular diced canned tomatoes. If so, I would add some smokey paprika or chipotles in adobo to impart some smokey flavor.
Or, you can char your own tomatoes! Especially if it is tomato season and you have an abundance of them in your garden. If you have a grill, just roast the tomatoes until the skin starts to blacken. Or, you can blacken the skins with your broiler or in a skillet. Then you can just throw the whole tomatoes in your blender.
If you don’t have any limes, don’t sweat it. In place of the lime juice and zest, substitute distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. The amount of vinegar to use is up to you. Add some, taste it, and keep adding more a little at a time until you like the acidity level of the salsa.
Frequently asked questions
what is the best way to cut cilantro for salsa?
For this recipe, I used half of a bunch of salsa. Cilantro stems have so much flavor you want to make sure you use them. When I am cutting up cilantro for a blended salsa, I always cut the stem ends into smaller pieces since they aren’t as tender as the leaves. If you don’t have any plans for the rest of the cilantro, go ahead and add it all!
How should I serve fire roasted salsa?
I just eat this with tortilla chips. My go to chips are the kind you can get at a tortilleria. They are thick and freshly fried. If I can’t get that kind of tortilla chips easily, I really like the Trader Joe’s veggie & flaxseed tortilla chips.
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Ingredients list
16 ounce jar of roasted red hatch chiles
14.5 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 of a red onion, roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems included), roughly chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice and zest of half a lime
or just add more white vinegar
How to make fire roasted tomato and hatch chile salsa
The process (no pun intended) is pretty easy for this salsa. Just add all of the ingredients to the food processor and puree. This isn’t a chunky salsa, so don’t worry about over-blending. Once everything is blended up, taste it. Add more salt, acid, or cumin to your personal taste. Serve with tortilla chips.
Fire Roasted Tomato and Hatch Chile Salsa
Ingredients
- 16 ounce jar of roasted red hatch chiles
- 14.5 ounce can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 of a red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/2 bunch of cilantro (stems included), roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Juice and zest of half a lime
Instructions
- Add the entire contents of the jar of red hatch chiles to your blender. Add the entire can of fired roasted tomatoes to the blender too, along with the red onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, dried oregano, distilled white vinegar, black pepper, and kosher salt. Blend until smooth.
- Taste the salsa. Does it need more salt or cumin? If so, adjust it to your tastes. Then add the lime zest and juice.
Notes
Don't forget to refer to lanyapcookery.com for more details!
