Salsa Seca – Smoky, Spicy, and Unapologetically Addictive
Directions
- 1Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C).
- 2Spread arbol, morita, guajillo, pasilla, and ancho chiles on a sheet tray in a single layer.
- 3Bake ~35 minutes, flipping and shuffling halfway, until evenly toasted.
- 4Cool the chiles to room temperature.
- 5Heat olive oil over medium heat.
- 6Fry torn tortilla until crispy, ~3 minutes; remove to paper towel.
- 7Add pumpkin seeds to the oil and cook ~2 minutes until just turning golden.
- 8Add sesame seeds and toast ~1 minute more.
- 9Remove seeds with a fine mesh strainer, reserving the oil in the pot.
- 10In a food processor, pulse the cooled toasted chiles to a chile-flake texture.
- 11Add toasted seeds, fried shallot, fried garlic, fried tortilla, salt, sugar, bouillon powder, and citric acid.
- 12Pulse to your desired texture.
- 13Return the mixture to the reserved oil over medium heat.
- 14Toast for 3–4 minutes until everything is crispy and fragrant.
- 15Cool to room temperature.
- 16Taste and adjust seasoning.
- 17Transfer to airtight containers lined with paper towels.
- 18Store at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 6 g arbol chiles, whole
- 25 g morita chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 30 g guajillo chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 35 g pasilla chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 85 g ancho chiles, seeded and stemmed
- 25 g sesame seeds, raw
- 30 g fried shallot
- 45 g pumpkin seeds, raw
- 50 g fried garlic
- 50 g corn tortilla, torn
- 240 g olive oil
- 10 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 5 g sugar
- 5 g chicken bouillon powder
- 2 g citric acid
Equipment
ComalFood ProcessorHeavy-Bottomed Pan
Tips
- For a milder version, reduce or skip the arbol chiles.
- Store-bought fried aromatics save time, but you can make them from scratch if you’re feeling ambitious.
- Swap chicken bouillon for mushroom or vegetable bouillon powder to make it vegan.
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