Charred Grape Tomato Salsa

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This charred grape tomato salsa gives you both bright, fresh flavors and a deeper smoky flavor. The dried chiles are toasted, and the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeño are cooked in a hot skillet until they’re blistered and lightly blackened before everything is blended with fresh cilantro and lime juice.

I love making this salsa when grape tomatoes are on sale because they become sweeter as they cook. It’s one of my favorite toppings for shrimp tacos, grilled chicken, burrito bowls, or just scooped up with tortilla chips.

What are guajillo chiles?

Guajillo chiles are dried mirasol peppers commonly used in Mexican cooking. They have a mild heat with slightly sweet, fruity, and earthy notes. They’re often used in salsas, adobos, soups, and marinades because they add rich flavor without overwhelming a dish. You can see the chile in the ingredients photo below; it’s the large one.

What are chile de árbol peppers?

Chiles de árbol are small, bright red dried chiles with a clean, sharp heat. They’re much spicier than guajillos, so a little goes a long way. I use two chile de árbol peppers to add a noticeable kick while still letting the sweet, charred tomatoes shine. The chiles de arbol are the small chiles in the ingredients photo below.

Ingredients

See the recipe card for exact amounts.

• Grape tomatoes: Grape tomatoes become sweeter as they char and have less water than larger tomatoes, helping create a thick salsa with concentrated tomato flavor.
• White onion: White onion adds a subtle sweetness after charring and balances the acidity of the tomatoes. While cooking in the Yucatán, I noticed white onions were the most common in grocery stores and local markets, so they’re my first choice for this salsa.
• Garlic: Garlic mellows as it cooks, adding rich flavor without being to overpowering.
• Guajillo chile: Guajillo chile adds a mild smoky, earthy flavor and gives the salsa its rich red color. After cooking with dried chiles in Mexico, they’ve become one of my favorite ways to build flavor without adding too much heat.
• Chile de árbol: Chile de árbol peppers add most of the heat in this salsa, balancing the sweetness of the charred tomatoes. If you don’t like things spicy, try using just one to begin with.
• Fresh cilantro: Fresh cilantro adds a bright, fresh flavor that balances the smoky vegetables.
• Lime juice: Lime juice adds acidity and brightens all of the flavors.
• Salt: Salt enhances the tomatoes and balances the smoky flavor from the charred vegetables.

Tips for Making Charred Grape Tomato Salsa

• Don’t burn the dried chiles: Toast the guajillo and chile de árbol for only 20 to 30 seconds, turning them often. They should become fragrant, not black. Burnt chiles taste bitter and can overpower the salsa.
• Remove the seeds first: I use kitchen scissors to cut the stems off the dried chiles and shake out most of the seeds before toasting. It’s a technique I learned while cooking in the Yucatán, and it helps prevent the seeds from burning and making the salsa bitter. After toasting, I give them another tap to remove any remaining seeds before soaking them.
• Soak the chiles: After toasting, cover the chiles with hot water for about 10 minutes. This softens them so they blend smoothly into the salsa.
• Let the vegetables really char: Don’t stir the tomatoes constantly. Let them sit against the hot skillet long enough to blister and blacken in spots. Those dark bits are where the smoky flavor comes from.

Instructions

Toast the dried chiles

Remove the stems and most of the seeds from the guajillo and chile de árbol using kitchen scissors.

Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat. Toast the chiles for 20 to 30 seconds, turning frequently, until fragrant.

Transfer them to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 10 minutes.

Char the vegetables

Using the same skillet, cook the grape tomatoes, onion, and garlic until blistered and lightly charred on all sides.

You can leave the tomatoes whole, slice the onion into large chunks, and keep the paper on the garlic.

Prepare the chiles

Drain the soaked chiles.

Peel the garlic cloves.

Blend

Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, softened chiles, cilantro, lime juice, and salt to a food processor or blender.

Blend until mostly smooth or leave it a little chunky if you prefer.

Taste and adjust

Taste the salsa and add more salt or lime juice if needed.

Storage

Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

The flavor actually gets even better after a few hours as the tomatoes, chiles, and lime have time to blend together.

What to Serve With Charred Grape Tomato Salsa

This salsa is one of my favorite toppings for shrimp tacos, grilled chicken tacos, fish tacos, burrito bowls, nachos, or eggs on toast. It’s also great with tortilla chips as an appetizer or snack!

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