I was sent a jar of Gran Luchito recently and the first thing I thought of was to incorporate this smokey Mexican chilli paste into a table salsa to eat with tortilla chips. Those jars of ‘mild’ and ‘hot’ salsa they sell at the supermarket are absolutely awful (the majority seem to be much too sweet) and homemade is just so much better.
This is what I came up with – a recipe involving tomatoes, onion and garlic all charred on the stove. What fantastic flavour it had! Smokey yet fresh and just perfect as part of an afternoon snack. We demolished one batch along with half a bag of tortilla chips and next time I’m going to double it. Or perhaps I’ll put some on a taco or in a burrito. Of course, you don’t have to use the chilli paste – you could toss in a couple of your own roasted chillies instead.
A Smokey Salsa
2 large tomatoes, washed but unpeeled
1/2 a medium sized onion, unpeeled
1 clove garlic, unpeeled
1 spring onion, trimmed
1 tsp Luchito chilli paste or 1-2 jalapenos
salt
1 lime
fresh coriander, finely chopped
Heat a heavy frying pan over high heat and lay in the tomatoes, onion, garlic clove, spring onion and jalapenos (if using), turning occasionally until blackened and blistered on as many sides as you can achieve. Take out the ingredients when blackened and leave to cool – the timings will obviously be different for each ingredient. For the tomatoes, onion and garlic clove, peel off the blackened skins and then chop the flesh roughly. Toss it all into a food processor or, as in my case, a mini chopper. Add the spring onion, roughly chopped, and also the chilli paste, or the grilled jalapeno (peeled). Pulse until just blended. Add salt, lime juice and fresh coriander to taste, stirring it all in well. Serve.
I’ve grown quite fond of the Gran Luchito paste. It’s also great on its own or stirred into a pasta sauce or spread on a sandwich. I’ve been adding it to lots of things. It’s very good stuff with a good heat and great smokey flavour.
Thu, 27 Jun, 2013 at 09:09
I love the gran luchito paste! I use it in loads of things. This salsa looks so good! I’ve never tried the stove-top charring thing.
Fri, 5 Jul, 2013 at 18:31
Mmm… going to see what I can put it in today…
Thu, 27 Jun, 2013 at 11:50
Nachos and salsa are the best things ever. I’m also a big fan of stuffing a burrito full of chicken, rice, lettuce and avocado before dunking it head-first into a nice big pot of salsa.
Always good to find new recipes, thanks!
Fri, 5 Jul, 2013 at 18:32
It’s a shame that Mexican restaurants over here don’t do the whole chips and salsa thing on the table prior to a meal…
Fri, 28 Jun, 2013 at 13:54
Looks really good, will try it this weekend to create some for myself.
Fri, 5 Jul, 2013 at 18:39
yay, hope it works out for you!
Sat, 6 Jul, 2013 at 15:38
This is just the ideal dip for a lazy afternoon with some chips. But I’m a bit queasy about the amount of spice in this dip so I might put some less spice. I’ll whip up some of these for some relaxing time in front of the tv. Thanks!
Sat, 6 Jul, 2013 at 22:00
Hehe, you can always leave out the spice too!
Fri, 9 Aug, 2013 at 08:33
[…] savoury treats could perhaps be rounded out by Su-Lin’s Smoky Salsa served with vegetable crudité and corn […]