Mere words fail me in describing how amazing this roasted salsa is. Dare I say the best salsa I’ve ever had? Yes, I daresay it is.
We’ve made a lot of dips in our kitchen and have tried our hand at variations of them multiple times: garden salsa, salsa verde, guacamole, chunky picante, black bean and corn dip, queso, etc… More often than not, we’re pretty pleased with ourselves and the tasty outcome. But this… This roasted salsa. You’ll start spilling joy-infused curse words with the first bite.
Credit once again goes to the boy for this recipe. I’ve had roasted salsas in the past that left me with no desire to recreate them, thanks to over-cooking and a slightly charred aftertaste. But the boy was consulting a coworker on favorite recipes, and he was given the inspiration to make this. I was out of the house when he had his first go at it, but I could tell by the smiley face emoticons and “oh my goshes” via text that he had landed on something wonderful. Then he said, “our house smells like a Mexican food restaurant,” to which I replied, “I’m on my way home.”
He wasn’t being dramatic – this stuff is incredible, and remarkably simple. You take all of the regular ingredients for salsa – tomatoes, onions, garlic, peppers, even limes – and roast them until they are cooked through, slightly browned, and emitting the most flavorful of juices. Into the food processor it all goes, scooping out the innards of the lime, with a handful of cilantro as well as salt and pepper to boot. Let it process until smooth. Take chip. Dip. Eat. Repeat.
What made this top notch, in my opinion, was the roasting of the lime. Instead of juicing a fresh one into the roasted mixture, the boy let it roast along with every other veggie, the juices and pulp emulsifying into one warm, flavorful addition to an already delicious concoction. Don’t fear the roasted lime, friends. It is an ally in our fight to make amazing salsa.
We’ve doused nearly every meal in this heavenly spread: tamales, breakfast eggs, spanish rice, grilled chicken, tacos, plain avocados… It has been our sinful late night snack, the boy and I so enamored of it’s creamy-yet-crazy-spicy flavor that we simply nomnom with no chitchat. It’s remarkably and unexpectedly smooth and creamy – I’m not entirely sure why. Whatever alchemy made it this way, I’m okay with it. The heat from the abundance of peppers (which you don’t have to adhere to, that was a personal choice of ours since we long ago burned off our tastebuds with a spice-heavy diet) balances the sweet smoothness of the roasted tomato, and it leaves your mouth smacking for more… just one more bite.
This makes for a great, impressive addition to any game day spread, perched next to a pitcher of margaritas or Mexican lagers with lime wedges squeezed into the nozzle. Alternatively, you could just continue to make it throughout the fall and deep into the winter to keep you warm, if and when those cold months ever come. I’m lookin’ at you, Texas. 90 degrees in mid-October… really? If you need me, I’ll be leaning into it, gobbling this salsa down with a side of strawberry marg.
