This red taqueria salsa is absolutely delicious on steak or pork carnitas tacos. You need only a few ingredients to make it at home, and it lasts several days in the fridge. The roasted peppers give a robust flavor to the salsa and the addition of the granulated chicken bullion complements it very well. I’ve been hooked on it since the first time I tried it at my local taqueria, but it can also be used over your breakfast fried eggs or that fried chicken you love for dinner. If you love spicy salsas, like I do, this one is for you!
Red Taquería Style Salsa Recipe
One of the essential ingredients for a good taco is to have a good salsa. The types of salsas used for tacos changes from every region of the country due to the ingredients available, or to the type of meat used in the tacos. Some people love to have green salsa for their barbacoa (Stewed Beef) tacos, others must have a good tomatillo and avocado salsa for their carnitas tacos, and then there is the “Pico de Gallo” or Mexican salsa for the fish tacos.
You can have endless conversations deciding which salsa is best for each type of dish, and maybe never agree on the same salsa. But one thing’s for sure, we love our tacos with a good salsa on them! Check this other Taqueria Style Salsa with roasted tomatillos and arbol peppers!
How to make Red Taquería Style Salsa
Notes:
- This is a spicy salsa, so to reduce the spiciness use fewer Arbol peppers.
- If you prefer not to use the granulated chicken bullion, make sure to adjust the salt to taste.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Fill a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and set aside.
- Slightly roasted guajillo peppers and garlic cloves on a warm griddle. You can flatten the peppers to have an even roasting by gently pressing them down with a wooden spatula. Remove promptly to avoid burning the peppers. Place roasted peppers and peeled garlic cloves in the saucepan.
- Now, roast the arbol peppers. Arbol peppers will roast quite faster than guajillo peppers, that is why we’re roasting them separately. Once roasted, place them in the saucepan with the rest of the peppers.
- Turn heat to medium-high and turn off once the water starts boiling. Cover the saucepan and wait for 20 minutes. This soaking time will help to soften the peppers.
- Place peppers and garlic into your blender jar along with ½ cup of water. Discard any leftover soaking water. Process until you have a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce back in the saucepan, stir in the granulated chicken bouillon, taste to check if more salt is needed according to your own taste, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, just enough time to allow the chicken bouillon to dissolve and for the flavors to blend.
Provecho!
Mely,
More recipes:
Pan Scrambled Eggs with Poblano Peppers and Green Salsa
Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce Recipe
Receta en español Salsa Roja para tacos.
Red Taqueria Style Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 Guajillo Peppers cleaned, seeds removed, and deveined.
- 16 arbol peppers stems removed.
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons granulated chicken bullion powder.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Fill a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and set aside.
- Slightly roasted guajillo peppers and garlic cloves on a warm griddle (this step takes only seconds). You can flatten the peppers to have an even roasting by gently pressing them down with a wooden spatula. Remove promptly to avoid burning the peppers (burned peppers render a bitter taste). Place roasted peppers and peeled garlic cloves in the saucepan.
- Now, roast the Arbol peppers. Arbol peppers will roast quite faster than guajillo peppers, that is why we’re roasting them separately. Once roasted, place them in the saucepan with the rest of the peppers.
- Turn heat to medium-high and turn off once the water starts boiling. Cover the saucepan and wait for 20 minutes. This soaking time will help to soften the peppers.
- Place peppers and garlic into your blender jar along with ½ cup of water. Discard any leftover soaking water. Process until you have a smooth sauce. Pour the sauce back in the saucepan, stir in the granulated chicken bouillon, taste to check if more salt is needed according to your own taste, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for 5 minutes, just enough time to allow the chicken bouillon to dissolve and for the flavors to blend.
Notes
- This is a spicy salsa, so to reduce the spiciness use fewer Arbol peppers.
- If you prefer not to use the granulated chicken bullion, make sure to adjust the salt to taste.
Xochitl Gonzalez
Made this last night. I was looking for a recipe to make salsa using some leftover chicken broth. I used broth in place of the bullion and cooked it down for a much longer time. Delicious!!! Will definitely make this again!
GillBFishin
What a great find. Put this on my Lengua tacos tonight and it absolutely kicked it up a notch Thank you for sharing.
Mely Martínez
Hello Bill,
Thank you for trying the Taqueria Style salsa! Enjoy!
Elma
Mely, great recipe!! I think I know why it is coming out a watery consistency for some people, they are adding all of the soaking water. Maybe on step 5 it might be a good idea to say “add the peppers and only 1/2 cup of either fresh water or soaking water. Discard the remaining soaking water.” I added only 1/2 cup of fresh water and it turned out at a perfect thickness. Thank you for sharing!
Mely Martínez
Hello Elma,
You could be right, thank you for the tip! I'll check the recipe. Happy cooking!
Dave
Mely, Muchas gracias! I have been looking for a spicy salsa recipe that I first tasted on the local food truck. I talked to the owner and he shared the recita with me but I have no idea if I understood him correctly. He used about 15 toasted arbol chilies. Nice spice. You could even add a ghost pepper or two to really light it up. Great on carnitas.
This gives me a great starting point. Perdona mi espanol. Gracias.
Kat
Simply amazing. Just a little drizzle of this adds a nice punch and tons of flavor. Thank you for sharing this.
I did cut back on the Arbols a little and it came out perfect for us.
John Albert Rivera
I'm gonna put this on my chilaquiles next time I make them!
Lara
Is it ok to use dried chile peppers?
Mely Martínez
Hello Laura,
The peppers in this recipe are dried peppers. Happy cooking!
Shana
So simple and so easy