Salsa Roja

This quick and easy Salsa Roja recipe is the best Mexican condiment made with fresh ingredients and wonderful aromatics. It's so flavorful and gorgeous, and the perfect addition to enchiladas, tacos, burritos, fajitas, and more!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Mexican Salsa Recipe, salsa roja, Salsa Roja Recipe

Servings: (about 3 cups total)

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh Roma tomatoes , rough chopped
1/2 medium white onion , roughly chopped
1 medium jalapeno , stem removed, seeded, and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cilantro , roughly chopped, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper , to taste
juice of half a lime

Instructions

To a blender, add the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, and half of the cilantro. Blend until mixture is well combined and no large chunks remain.
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil until shimmering, then add in the blended tomato mixture, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes until salsa thickens and darkens in color.
Remove from the heat and add in the lime juice and remaining cilantro. If it's too thick, you can add in a tablespoon or two of water to thin it down.
Allow to cool a bit and enjoy right away or cool completely in the fridge. Use as desired (a list of suggestions is included in the article.)

Notes

Using different tomatoes. Roma tomatoes are ideal for this salsa, but you can use regular slicing or hot house tomatoes if necessary. These typically have more seeds and gel than the Romas, though. You can either scoop out some of the seeds before blending, or you may need to cook the salsa longer in order to achieve the right salsa consistency.

Achieving the deep red color. The tomato puree may look pink but will transform into a darker red hue during the cooking process. For an even deeper red color, core the Roma tomatoes before chopping, but make sure you have enough tomatoes to equal 2 pounds after removing the core.

Control the spiciness. Remove the seeds and ribs from the jalapeño peppers for a more mild salsa, or leave some of them in if you like it spicy. For extra spiciness, you can use Serrano or scotch bonnet peppers to up the heat. You could also add cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.

Nutrition