EXPERT Final Draft

 September 16th 

                                            A Short Guide 

             for Pairing the Right Salsa with Your Next Mexican Meal!

Salsa is the centerpiece of Mexican cuisine. Quite literally, the bowl of salsa always sits in the center of the table. My dad likes to say salsa is one of the most misunderstood Mexican foods. It's not a generic mix-and-match condiment, nor is it only meant to be enjoyed with chips! Just as in French cooking, béchamel and béarnaise sauces complement specific dishes and ingredients, Mexican cooking also recognizes that salsas serve a variety of flavor functions. A perfect salsa will highlight the green, herbaceous flavors of fresh chiles and the raisiny sweetness of dried chiles (Garcia). 

Overwhelming spice is never the intention of good salsa. Rather it's having the ideal heat and flavor combinations to complement a meal such as seared skirt steak or braised pork belly carnitas. In this guide, I will describe the ingredient and flavor profiles of some traditional Mexican salsas while also explaining which meals they suit best!

                   Chiles: Fresco (Fresh) vs. Seco (Dried)

Salsas can be made with fresh chiles such as serranos or they can be made with dried chiles like ancho chiles. Did you know once a fresh chile is dried it takes on a new name? A chipotle chile is simply a smoke-dried jalapeño. Although these chiles are essentially the same pepper, their fresh flavors are distinct from their dried alter-egos. Dried chiles taste spicier because they develop an intense, smoky flavor in the drying process. 

Raw salsas are usually chunky, so the flavors further develop as you chew. You taste the tangy heat from the fresh chiles and the acidity from tomatoes. The flavors of a raw salsa are simple yet explosive. There aren't many ingredients in a salsa cruda but each one packs a punch. Cooked salsas have a slow burn with a deep flavor because they're made with a variety of dried chiles and the fresh ingredients are often charred. According to my mom, there are three main cooking techniques for chiles in a salsa (Cardenas): 

• Charred or lightly toasted on a dry surface for smokiness
• Lightly fried for creaminess
• Simmered in water for brightness 

The Salsas 

Salsa Verde 

Salsa verde is bright and tangy. This salsa introduces us to one of the most key ingredients of all Mexican salsas: the tomatillo. If you've never tried a tomatillo it's just a Mexican green tomato. A tomatillo is juicy, tart, and salty which gives this salsa its signature flavor.  In a salsa verde, the ingredients get a quick and even char on a comal, which is just a flat pan that looks like a griddle.  

Ingredients

• Charred tomatillos
• Charred jalapeño 
• Charred onion 
• Charred garlic 
• Cilantro 
• Salt
• *Add avocado to make an Avocado-Tomatillo Salsa

Pairing: Salsa verde is known as a taco salsa. I'm sure you've seen the green and red bottles at a taco truck! The acidity from the tomatillos balances the rich flavor of the meat in a taco. Salsa verde pairs well with any taco, but if you added avocado try this on grilled shrimp tacos, ASAP. "In Mexico we say that the meat is what makes a good taco, but the right salsa is what makes it exceptional" (Taco Chronicles). 

Salsa de Molcajete

This is my favorite salsa because it combines fresh and dry chiles. All the fresh ingredients are charred and mashed together in a molcajete dish which makes it a smoky, chunky salsa that sits on the spicy side. A molcajete dish is a throne for Mexican salsas. It's very similar to a mortar and pestle but a molcajete is bulkier because it's traditionally made from volcanic stone. The molcajete was first used by the Aztec and the Maya, so it's basically a pre-Hispanic food processor (The Yucatan Times). 

Ingredients 

• Charred tomatoes 
• Charred serranos
• Charred jalapeños
• Arbol chiles (toasted on a comal)
• Lightly charred onion 
• Lightly charred garlic
• Cilantro 
• Salt

Pairing: There's really nothing like a fresh salsa de molcajete paired with a carne asada (grilled steak) because a simple steak will highlight the charred flavors of the salsa. This salsa also pairs well with potato dishes and cheesy meals.

Salsa Roja 

Salsa roja is a reliable classic. A salsa roja less spicy and brighter than other salsas because it does not incorporate dried chiles and none of the ingredients are charred. This salsa might seem like the kind you get at Tex-Mex restaurants. I think those salsas are pretty terrible because they add corn syrup and red bell peppers. Authentic salsa roja is delicious because it highlights the fresh flavor of simple ingredients and has some mild spice.

Ingredients 

• Tomatoes (simmered in water)
• Serranos (simmered in water)
• Onion (simmered in water)
• Garlic (simmered in water)
• Cilantro
• Salt 

Paring: Salsa roja's mild and tasty profile make this the perfect salsa to pair with a runny egg breakfast! In fact, salsa roja's time to shine is usually at breakfast when you're craving a gentle spiciness to start the day. This salsa is also great for those that don't want such a spicy salsa on their tacos. 

Chile Macho 

This salsa is spicy! Just a few drops goes a long way. A typical recipe calls for 4 times the amount of chiles as it does tomatoes! After blending the ingredients together, chile macho is strained so the salsa itself is a runny, potent sauce. All the chiles in this salsa are dried so the flavor is deep, smoky, and striking. The guajillos are simmered for creaminess and the rest of the dry ingredients are charred or lightly fried. 

Ingredients 

• Arbol chiles (lightly fried)
• Guajillo chiles (simmered in water)
• Charred tomato 
• Charred garlic 
• Vinegar
• Whole peppercorns
• Salt 
• Water

Pairing: This salsa is paired with soups and stews since the creamy consistency allows for the salsa to integrate well into a broth. Soups and stews with rich cuts of meat best complement this salsa. The heat from the chiles deepens the flavor of a broth while the vinegar cuts some of the richness from the meat. Chile macho is most often seen around the holiday season when everyone is enjoying a warm and comforting meal. Every Christmas my family prepares a huge pot of pozole (hominy stew) with chile macho. 

Hay mas que una manera de pelar ajos!

Spanish idiom translation: there’s more than one way to peel garlic! Of course, there are many interpretations and varieties of the salsas I mentioned. Even various cities in Mexico critique each other's traditional versions because they feature ingredients that are native to their region. Everyone thinks their salsa is better! What everyone agrees on, however, is that no meal is complete without a fresh, handmade salsa that balances with the wide range of flavors in any Mexican dish.

Works Cited

Cardenas, Rosa. "The 3 Cooking Techniques for Chiles" Interview with Rosa Cardenas (my mom). 09 September 2020. 

Garcia, Ricardo. "Salsa Misunderstandings/What makes a good salsa?" Interview with Ricardo Garcia (my dad). 09 September 2020. 

"Molcajete, a cultural heritage that gives unique flavor to the Mexican cuisine," The Yucatan Times. 27 April 2019. https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2019/04/molcajete-a-cultural-heritage-that-gives-unique-flavor-to-the-mexican-cuisine/ 

Taco Chronicles. Directed by Carlos Perez Osorio, Season 1, Episode 3, Netflix, 2019.