Salsa Macha

 

A few years ago a friend brought back a jar of salsa macha from her travels in Mexico. I tried a spoonful by itself and ever since I’ve been hooked.

Alas, very few published recipes have gotten me close to the magic of that first bite. After A LOT of research I discovered that salsa macha can look and taste like a lot of things. Some resemble a chile oil, others are more like a paste, and some are just chiles, peanuts, and vinegar. No two salsa machas are alike!

Luckily I found some common themes across many recipes: chiles, nuts and seeds, oil, vinegar. This combo produces a complex, nutty, rich, and acidic salsa with a great deal of heat. With this discovery I was able to play around with ingredients and ratios to make my favorite version of this salsa.

The origins of salsa macha are somewhat unclear, but several sources trace it back to the state of Veracruz, home to the oldest and largest port in Mexico. This might explain the use of non-indigenous ingredients in some recipes like almonds and olive oil, or the technique of frying nuts before incorporating, which reminds me of Spanish romesco sauces.

My salsa macha recipe below is the closest I’ve gotten to that magical first taste of salsa macha many years ago. But, feel free to experiment because salsa macha can be delicious using any chile, nut, and seed you might already have in your pantry!

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  • 3 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

  • 3 arbol chiles, stemmed and seeded

  • 2 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

  • 1 chipotle chile, stemmed and seeded

  • 1.5oz almonds and/or peanuts

  • 4 garlic clove, peeled and halved

  • 1 Tablespoon sesame seed

  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano

  • 2 cups olive oil

Preheat oven to 350.

Add chiles, nuts, and seeds to a baking sheet and roast for approximately 2 minutes, until chiles are fragrant. Keep an eye on the chiles while they’re roasting, they can burn quickly!

Remove chiles from pan, but leave the seeds, nuts, and garlic on the pan. Continue roasting until lightly toasted (~5 additional minutes).

Put chiles in a heatproof bowl and add boiling water to cover. Soak chiles until softened, about 20 minutes.

Add soaked chiles to a blender with enough of the chile liquid to release the blender blades. Blend until a thick paste forms.

Add toasted seeds and nuts, vinegar, garlic, salt, and oregano to blender. With the blender running, add oil slowly until emulsified.

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

 
Gino Garciasalsa, mexican, veracruz, recipe, salsa macha, pantryComment