BEST SALSA ROJA RECIPE (FRESH MEXICAN RED SALSA)

This is by far the best salsa roja recipe I’ve ever made. It combines juicy tomatoes, jalapeños, onion, garlic, lime juice, and cilantro to create a tangy, fresh Mexican red salsa that can compete with your favorite Mexican restaurant any day of the week.

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Best Fresh Salsa Roja Recipe (Mexican Red Salsa)

If I had to choose one type of cuisine to eat every day for the rest of my life, it would undoubtedly be Mexican food. I absolutely LOVE it. Give me all the beans, rice, tortillas, and especially this fresh salsa roja. 

I’ll never claim to make or share authentic Mexican food, but as someone who attempts to find the best Mexican restaurant everywhere she goes… I can say this salsa roja recipe is by far my favorite I’ve ever made at home. You could easily convince your friends and family that it came from a cool new Mexican restaurant in town if you didn’t want to take the credit for this delicious sauce yourself.

If you’re a gardener like me or if you enjoy hitting up your local farmer’s market, you likely have an abundance of tomatoes in the summer. This easy roasted salsa is a PERFECT way to use them up. I love to keep a jar on hand to eat with chips, top eggs, and pair with any Mexican style dinner I serve my family. 

It’s also the perfect base for my simple 2-ingredient guacamole salsa, which is simply mashed avocados with a bit of fresh salsa mixed in.

WHY THIS MEXICAN RED SALSA RECIPE WORKS 

• Adjustable Spice: If you like a lot of spice, add in extra jalapenos or spicy peppers of your choice. If you’re serving small kids like I am, use one seeded jalapeno for flavor but minimal (if any) heat!

• Minimal ingredients: This incorporates only a few simple ingredients that combine to pack a huge flavor punch.

• Flavorful: This flavorful Mexican red salsa adds so much flavor to any dish! Use it on eggs or breakfast burritos, quesadillas, tacos, salads, or just on tortilla chips! 

• Easy: Simply roasting the ingredients and blending them together will make a flavorful salsa that will impress anyone you serve. Store-bought salsa just doesn’t compare, I promise!

INGREDIENTS:

• Tomatoes: Most recipes for salsa roja call for roma tomatoes; however, I use whatever I have on hand from my garden or farm share. 
• Onion: A sweet or white onion will be fine. I typically use sweet Vidalia onions. 
• Jalapeno: I typically use only one when making this for my family since I have small kids but feel free to go crazy with more for added heat! You can also add other types of hot peppers if you’d like. 
• Garlic: You won’t need much – just 2-3 cloves! 
• Cilantro: I know some folks hate cilantro, but that’s ok – more for me! You can leave it out if you must but it adds so much fresh flavor!
• Lime Juice: A splash of lime juice adds freshness and tang.
• Salt: Salt brings out the flavor of the tomatoes, but you can adjust the quantity to your taste. I find that if I’m eating the salsa with salty tortilla chips I prefer less salt in the salsa itself. It’s always better to under salt and add more later if needed! 

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:

Knife: Any sharp knife will do!

Large Baking Sheet: Of course, we’ll need a baking sheet to roast the veggies. Be sure to use with with slightly raised sides to ensure juices don’t run into your oven.

Parchment Paper or Silicon Baking Mat: Silicon baking mats have truly been life-changing as someone who spends a lot of time in the kitchen. They help your food not stick to the pan and allow for super easy cleanup! Silpat is a popular high-end brand but I’ve had great luck with the Amazon Basics versions.

Blender or Food Processor: While it’s a splurge, I swear by my Vitamix blender. It’s perfect for making perfectly blended smoothies, soups, and sauces like this Mexican red salsa.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST SALSA ROJA RECIPE:

1. Wash tomatoes and remove stem and core. Score tomatoes with an X to make it easier to remove the peel after cooking. 
2. Slice onion into quarters. 
3. Peel garlic.
4. Remove stem and seeds from jalapeno. 
5. Toss above items in avocado oil then roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then broil on high for 2-3 minutes until charred. 
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing the peel from tomatoes. They should slide right off using your fingers or a fork.
7. Add all ingredients (including the roasted items and the remaining items) to the blender or food processor. 
8. Blend until desired consistency.
9. Optional: reserve one tomato to the side when blending the rest of the salsa, dice, and add it back in once blended. I like this for some added texture to the salsa.
10. Add reserved tomato, stir, and refrigerate until time to serve.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Serve this Mexican red salsa with your favorite Mexican inspired dishes. I love eating it as a snack with tortilla chips, using it as the base of my guacamole with salsa, and eating it with eggs, burritos, nachos, tacos, etc.

This is such a great sauce to keep on hand to add flavor to your meals throughout the week. 

STORAGE

Frankly this salsa never lasts more than a few days at my house, but the level of acidity in the recipe allows it to last for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. 

You can freeze salsa as well for up to three months but in my opinion the change in texture is less than ideal. 

You know a dish is good when you can’t even sneak a photo of the final product before little hands start sneaking bites in the kitchen. I love that this salsa is flavorful but mild enough that even my two and four year olds love it. If you’re feeding only grownups or those with a taste for additional heat, be sure to add additional peppers to your version!

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