Hot Piquin Salsa
This Hot Piquin Salsa made with fresh piquin peppers is an easy to prepare spicy sauce; a few drops render a lot of heat. Yes, these little peppers are hot, very hot! Fresh Piquin salsa is usually made right before serving. This is a home-style salsa, so it is hard to find it on restaurants tables.
Something that I have noticed over the years is how people give different names to peppers, depending on the region where they live. For example, my mom is from the south of Veracruz, and she calls the Guajillo peppers (which are dried long peppers), “Cascabel,” but actually Cascabel peppers are a medium-size round (spherical) pepper.
The same happens in other areas where Ancho peppers are also known as “Color Pepper,” since it’s a mild pepper and is commonly used to give color to a dish.
And then we have these small and fiery piquin peppers. They go by many different names: Amashito, chiltepin, tepin, Chile de monte, Mash, and many other names that will change depending on what part of the country you live in. To add to the confusion, there are many different types of peppers that are similar in size and shape to piquin peppers, and sometimes people will call a pepper “piquin” pepper simply because it’s small, even though it’s actually not piquin!
Piquin peppers are usually sold at Latin stores around October, which is their peak season. If you’re having a hard time finding them, use one of the substitute options mentioned in my notes, or better yet, buy a small plant and care for it in a pot; when wintertime comes around, bring it indoors.
I hope you enjoy this Mexican fresh salsa recipe.
Fresh Hot Piquin Salsa
DIRECTIONS:
- Place coarse salt and garlic clove in your mortar and crush until very fine. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Add the fresh piquin peppers and Mexican oregano to the mortar and grind to a rough texture. When you use your mortar (molcajete) to grind the peppers, the seeds of the peppers release their natural oils, which give the salsa an added flavor.
- Add the lime juice and water. Stir well and enjoy all those wonderful flavors and aromas!
This hot piquin salsa is usually prepared in small quantities, just enough to consume on the same day.
This Hot Piquin Salsa made with fresh piquin peppers is an easy to prepare spicy sauce; a few drops render a lot of heat. Yes, these little peppers are hot, very hot! Fresh Piquin salsa is usually made right before serving. This is a home-style salsa, so it is hard to find it on restaurants tables.
- 1/3 Teaspoon of coarse salt
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 Tablespoon of Piquin Peppers
- 1/3 Teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon of lime juice
- 4 Tablespoons of water
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Place coarse salt and garlic clove in your mortar and crush until very fine.
-
Add the fresh piquin peppers and Mexican oregano to the mortar and grind to a rough texture. When you use your mortar (molcajete) to grind the peppers, the seeds of the peppers release their natural oils, which give the salsa an added flavor.
-
Add the lime juice and water. Stir well and enjoy all those wonderful flavors and aromas!
If you don’t find fresh piquin peppers, try using two serrano peppers, or one chopped jalapeño pepper.
If you don’t find fresh piquin peppers check this recipe for Dried Piquin Peppers.
Visita our website in Spanish: México en mi Cocina.
Provecho!
Mely Martinez,
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Today I learned about Piquin peppers!
Is there a molcajete you recommend, and do you have to do anything special to it before using it. I remember my mother saying, “Se tiene que curar.”
Hi Diana,
I highly recommend the Molcajetes sold by Ancientcookware.com. You need to cure the molcajete by grinding dry rice (raw rice), you have to make several passes to the rice. Meaning that you will need to change the rice until the fine powder comes out white. Rinse the molcajete and it is ready to use. We’ll have a video showing the process pretty soon.
Great! Muchas gracias!
I just came back from Texas, but forgot the Chili Piquin my nephew had picked for me from his ranch. My sister had to send me something in the mail and included the chili I had forgotten. I was so surprised and excited. I made some salsa with tomatoes the other day, but was looking for some other recipes. Thank for this recipe!
Hello Sylvia,
I’m so glad your family mailed you the peppers. I know that feeling of excitement with fresh piquin peppers.
Happy cooking!
I’m so glad I found you on Pinterest I’ve been looking for recipes and info on these Chiles. II grew up with this salsa. Thank you!
We couldn’t find fresh piquin, but our market did have fresh chiles de arbol. We used those instead, and it still came out delicious. They remind me a lot of Thai chiles. I love the idea of making just enough very spicy salsa to use in one day (not to mention being able to use the molcajete and not dirty up the blender each time). We’ve been using this salsa on empalmes the past couple of mornings, and it’s a really nice way to start the day. We are very jealous of your piquin plant, though!
Hello James,
That is the beauty of making salsas, you can use other peppers when the ones the recipe mentions are not available.