If you like spicy salsas, then this salsa recipe is for you! Piquin pepper is a small pepper, but they carry a lot of heat for their size and are even hotter than Jalapeño peppers. Also known as Pequin, Tepin, or Bird peppers here in the States, Piquin pepper can be found in Mexico, Central America, and the southern U.S. states of Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico.
Piquin Pepper Salsa
In the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Leon, it is common to find the plant in the wild as well as in household gardens. In large cities, some people will have a large pot outside their kitchens with a plant of Piquin pepper, that way they have it handy for when they’re cooking their salsas. Some people will also eat them raw, and just go outside their kitchens to cut some to enjoy with their meals. When I'm cooking chorizo, I like to add a few of these peppers.This recipe idea is courtesy of Mexican Chef Adrian Herrera
How to make Piquin Pepper Salsa
DIRECTIONS:
- Toast the peppers in a hot pan for about 45 seconds, shaking the pan during the process to avoid burning the peppers. Place peppers into the mortar. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Slightly toast the cumin seeds and black peppers for 30 seconds in the hot pan, and add them to the mortar.
- Grind the piquin peppers, cumin, black pepper, and the oregano until you have a very fine texture.
- Heat the oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, stir in the onion and garlic. Sauté until they start to get a golden color around the edges.
- Add the onion and garlic to the mortar, and keep grinding until it has a fine texture. Mix in the vinegar and water. Season with salt and enjoy!
For this recipe, use a Lava Stone Mortar
Buen Provecho!
Mely Martínez,
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📖 Recipe
Piquin Pepper Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Piquín pepper*
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 4 black peppercorns
- ⅓ of a small white onion sliced
- 1 garlic clove sliced
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- ½ tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Toast the peppers in a hot pan for about 45 seconds, shaking the pan during the process to avoid burning the peppers. Place peppers into the mortar.
- Slightly toast the cumin seeds and black peppers for 30 seconds in the hot pan, and add them to the mortar.
- Grind the piquin peppers, cumin, black pepper, and the oregano until you have a very fine texture.
- Heat the oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, stir in the onion and garlic. Sauté until they start to get a golden color around the edges.
- Add the onion and garlic to the mortar, and keep grinding until it has a fine texture. Mix in the vinegar and water. Season with salt and enjoy!
Notes
- If you don’t find Piquín pepper, you can use árbol pepper.
- You can double the number of ingredients to make a larger batch; this salsa lasts several days in the fridge.
philip
an obvious question: seeds or no seeds?
Mely Martínez
Hello Phiip,
Since these peppers are very small, we do not remove seeds.