Name: Smoky Salsa de Chipotle Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Makes about 3 cups
Cuisine: MEXICAN
Ingredients: 2 pounds red ripe medium tomatoes; 2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; Kosher salt; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

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By Genevieve Ko

and Jocelyn Ramirez

June 26, 2020

Chipotles in adobo make for a tomato salsa that’s tangy, smoky and slightly sweet with a kick of heat. They can be purchased canned as whole chiles in sauce. Here, they’re blended with smoky charred tomatoes. Use more or fewer chiles for a milder or spicier salsa.

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2 pounds red ripe medium tomatoes

2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Turn a gas burner to high heat or heat a grill to high. Using heatproof tongs, place the tomatoes over the open flame and cook, turning as needed for even charring, until blackened and tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the charred tomatoes to a blender and add the chipotle chiles, lemon juice and cumin. Season with salt. Blend until smooth, occasionally pushing down the tomatoes toward the blade if needed to break them up.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chipotle salsa to the pan (pouring away from you to avoid spattering). Cook the salsa, stirring often, until it starts to turn a deep red color and thickens and bubbles, 5 to 10 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool, then mix in the cilantro.

Adapted from La Vida Verde by Jocelyn Ramirez.

Make Ahead:

The salsa can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.