How to roast chiles is a very basic technique that will level up your homemade salsa game. If you have been looking for a secret ingredient for your spicy side, this might be the hack you are looking for!
Be careful when roasting chiles
Be warned! Roasting chiles can be very irritating to your lungs and eyes, so make sure you roast your chiles in a well-ventilated space. Under an exhaust fan or in your outdoor bbq area are the best place to roast chiles. If you get a tickle in your throat, that is definitely how to roast chiles! Make sure to protect your pets too!
But just like most kitchen techniques, you can keep yourself safe, healthy and satisfied if you take a few precautions!
Once your chiles are toasted, you can puree them add add them to soups or stews. I am sharing a salsa recipe below but you can use this technique to add flavor to your enchilada recipes or to your tortilla soup. Of course, you have to roast poblano peppers and remove the skin before you use them in any recipe. Once you learn how to roast chiles, you will roast chiles all the time!
Use fresh ingredients
In salsas, I prefer to use fresh garlic and tomatoes when I roast chiles. I keep the recipe simple so you can taste the complex flavor in a roasted chile. But if you want to switch up the recipe I am providing below, you can use fresh green tomatillo instead of red tomatoes. Use the same quantities of ingredients, but you will make a completely different sauce!
I like to add this Roasted Chile de Arbol Salsa to guacamole to give it extra flavor. Also, you can add it to cheese sauce, spoon it over pico de gallo or simply serve it with tortilla chips. Don’t kid yourself, this salsa is hot! But you can make this recipe even spicier if you double the amount of chile de arbol. The roasting and cooking time will stay the same but the fire level of spiciness will be double! Watch out!
PrintRoasted Chile de Arbol Salsa
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1.5 cups (360ml) 1x
Ingredients
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided (45ml)
1/2 oz dried red chile de arbol (14g)* stems removed
1 clove garlic
1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped (500g)
½ cup water (120ml)
Salt to taste
Instructions
In a heavy skillet, heat 1 tbsp. (15ml) of olive oil. Add the dried chile de arbol and toast for 30-60 seconds. Make sure your cooking space is well ventilated to avoid irritating fumes.
Add the toasted chiles to the container of a blender along with the garlic, tomatoes and water. Blend until chunky.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp. of olive oil (30ml) to the heavy skillet. Heat over medium heat. Pour the salsa into the pan and allow to reduce over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir so that salsa does not scorch. Salt to taste before serving.
Notes
Remember: If you leave your chiles in the hot skillet, they will continue to toast with the residual heat. Quickly add the chiles to the blender or remove the chiles from the hot pan to stop the toasting process.
Oh MY, it looks great! Can’t wait to cook em this Sunday!
Thanks Sheila!
Going to try out your recipe.
Enjoy! Have a great 4th of July!