Salsa Molcajete

This is a recipe for another one of my favorite salsas and best of all it’s so easy to make! Are any of you familiar with a molcajete? Well if you’re not it is this amazing mortar and pestle made out of lava stone. It is typically used by Mexicans to grind spices or make delicious salsas and dips.

Growing up my family had this old molcajete that was shaped like a pig. It was the cutest thing and my parents would use it to make all kinds of salsas. Since blenders are not very common in more rural areas of Mexico they relied mainly on the molcajete to grind up things. At my family’s rancho some of the places didn’t even have electricity so you can see why this molcajete would come in handy.

My dad had this tendency to make every salsa very spicy…like VERY spicy. So I always liked it when my mom would make the salsa instead. They’d make this salsa every time we’d have carne asada, or huevos rancheros for breakfast. I took the best of each of their salsas and made this flavorful salsa with a bit of heat. All you need is a few simple fresh ingredients that develop deep flavors by charring them and giving them a nice smoky flavor.

I keep telling my fiancé, Chase, that I want a gas stove. If I had a gas stove I’d be able to easily char things over an open flame but alas I don’t. So instead I have to settle for using my oven on broil. So to start you can set your oven to the highest temperature and let it heat up. As it is heating up you are going to toss 2 roma tomatoes and 2 serrano peppers in about 1/2 tsp of olive oil. You then put your tomatoes and peppers in the oven for about 3 to 5 minutes until they start to blacken and then you’ll flip them to char the other side.

As you’re waiting for your tomatoes and peppers to blacken a bit go ahead and start grinding 1/4 tsp of cumin, 1/3tsp of salt and 1 garlic clove. Grind it until it turns into a paste. Check on your tomatoes and peppers they should be done by now. Go ahead and remove them from the oven and let them cool.

As your tomatoes and peppers are cooling small dice 1/4 of an onion and chop about 2 tbsp of cilantro. Add the tomatoes and peppers and into the molcajete and start squishing them gently be careful because they might be squirters and you’ll end up with a mess on your kitchen counter. Keep grinding in circular motions until you get a smooth consistency or if you like it chunky leave it chunky, I’m not judging.

Fold in your chopped onions and cilantro and adjust your salt seasoning. Serve it with your favorite tacos, breakfast eggs, protein or alone with some chips!

Bon Appetit!

Salsa Molcajete

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove

1/3 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp toasted cumin seeds

1/2 tsp olive oil

2 roma tomatoes

1/4 onion

2 serrano peppers

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Toss tomatoes and serrano peppers in olive oil. Over an open flame or using your oven on broil char tomatoes and serrano peppers.

In a molcajete place garlic clove, salt and toasted cumin seeds. Grind until garlic and cumin turn into a paste.

Remove peppers and tomatoes from fire or oven and let cool slightly.

Small dice 1/4 of an onion. Set aside.

Add peppers and tomatoes to molcajete and gently smash until smooth consistency.

Fold in chopped onions and cilantro. Adjust seasoning to taste.