Roasted Tomato Poblano Salsa has a delicious fresh and smoky flavor. It's fantastic with chips, tacos, burritos, or to top meats, chicken and fish.
Many moons ago, my friends and I used to frequent a Santa Monica restaurant called Carlos & Pepe's.
The main reason we loved it was because of the incredibly delicious chips and salsa (I guess that's two reasons).
Their salsa recipe was fresh, spicy, smoky, slightly sweet, and a bit crunchy. The chips were light, warm, and perfectly salted.
I recreated the salsa and it's amazing! The key to this Poblano salsa is roasting most of the ingredients before you blend them together.
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The Key Ingredients
- poblano chile peppers - Poblano chile peppers add a smoky, earthy and warm flavor to recipes -- especially when roasted. Their heat level varies, but they're typically mild to medium. Choose shiny dark green poblanos.
- jalapeño chile peppers - Though jalapeño peppers are typically hotter than poblanos, their heat level can also vary. Look for firm, deeply colored shiny peppers.
- tomatoes - Choose the best tomatoes you can find. Summer and early fall is when you likely find those that are sweetest. Use any variety you like.
- onion - The onions are one of the the two ingredients that do not get roasted in the poblano salsa. They add the most delicious crunch! (Cilantro is the other.) Choose onions that are heavy for their size and without bruises.
- fresh garlic - The garlic is roasted for this recipe, which takes out its sharpness and makes it subtly sweet.
- fresh cilantro - Since it's a love it or hate it ingredient (I love it!), in this recipe you can replace it with lime zest -- use about a tablespoon. Or you can skip it all together. Choose bunches that are bright green and perky.
- lime juice - Get the juiciest limes you can. They should be heavy for their size, on the soft side and ideally with smooth skin.
Pro tip: Always taste your chile peppers before using them so you know what their heat level is. It can vary from pepper to pepper, and you might want to make a measurement adjustment if they're especially hot, unless that's what you want.
How to Make it
- Remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut an “X” on the bottom (without going deep — just enough to slice the skin). Then cut them in half horizontally.
- Place the tomatoes flat side down on the baking sheet that’s thinly coated with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves to an empty space on the baking sheet.
- Roast in a 500°F oven until the garlic is golden and the tomatoes are sizzling with their skins beginning to pull away from the "X," about 10 minutes. Don't worry if the sheet pan is getting brown from the tomato juice, as this will later be incorporated into the salsa.
- Once the tomatoes are cool enough to touch, you can use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. It should come off quite easily.
- As you do this, add the skins to a small strainer over a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic. Add both to the bowl. Use a metal spatula to scrape any brown bits of tomato, and any remaining olive oil and tomato juice from the baking sheet and add it to the bowl. (This is key for the smoky flavor!) Use the back of a spoon to press down on the tomato skins to get any excess juice into the bowl.
Do you have to peel the tomatoes? No, this really a matter of preference, though I think the overall texture is better without the skins. (If you choose not to, you don't have to cut the "X" before you roast them.)
- Cut all of the peppers in half vertically, remove the seeds and membranes, and place them round side up on a baking sheet. Place them directly under the broiler until the skin is fairly evenly charred and blistered.
- Let the peppers cool for a few minutes, and then use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. Finely chop them and add them to the other ingredients.
- Add the onion, cilantro and lime juice to the bowl and mix everything together. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. (How to Season To Taste.) Tip: If the tomatoes aren't especially sweet, add a pinch or two of sugar.
*Alternately, you can put all of the ingredients — both roasted and raw — in a food processor and blend to the desired consistency. (Onions should be roughly chopped first.)
Recipe Tips
- Mild version. This is where it's important to have a tiny taste of the peppers before using them. As I mentioned, both the Poblanos and the Jalapeños can vary in heat from pepper to pepper. So if you want mild, be sure to use those that are more mild, and be sure to remove all of the seeds and the membranes, too.
- Hotter version. If you want extra heat, leave some of the seeds in the peppers.
- If your tomatoes are not as sweet as you'd like, add a pinch or two of sugar when you season the salsa.
- While the recipe calls for specific measurements that work very well, when it comes to salsa, generally more or less of any of the ingredients is okay. Feel free to adjust it to suit your taste.
- Don't worry if bits of the charred pepper skins get mixed into the salsa -- that only adds to the delicious smoky flavor.
Serving Suggestions
Below are a few dishes that would be excellent to serve after, or along with the salsa.
Other Uses for Roasted Tomato Poblano Salsa
Beyond serving the salsa with warm salted tortilla chips (my favorite!), there is really no end to the possibilities. Below are handful of ideas.
- Mix it into guacamole.
- Spoon it on top of grilled chicken, fish or meat.
- Drizzle it over grilled vegetables.
- Mix it into salads as a dressing.
- Add it to your tacos, burritos, tostadas and wraps.
However you serve this amazing, smoky and delicious salsa, I hope enjoy every last bite!
More Recipes with Poblano Peppers
- Poblano Rice Pilaf
- Mexican Chicken Poblano Pasta
- Poblano Egg Sausage Casserole
- Roasted Poblano Guacamole with Lemon
- Chopped Mexican Salad with Spiced Pepitas
More Delicious Summer Salsa Recipes
- Grape and Plum Salsa
- Mango Habanero Salsa
- Pickled Tomato Salsa
- Strawberry Avocado Salsa
- Watermelon Cucumber Salsa
- Green Chile Salsa with Pineapple
- Hatch Chile Salsa with Fresh Peaches
Enjoy!
Roasted Tomato Poblano Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds tomatoes
- 5 small cloves (about 2½ tablespoons) garlic, peeled, smashed and root ends trimmed
- ½ pound poblano chili pepper (about 2 medium-sized peppers)
- ¼ pound jalapeño pepper (1 to 2 small peppers)
- ¾ cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro, washed and dried, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 small lime)
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F and lightly coat a baking sheet with the olive oil. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Roast the tomatoes and garlic: Use a paring knife to remove the cores from the tomatoes and cut them in half horizontally. Cut an "X" on the round side of each half -- just enough of a slit to break the skin. Place the tomatoes flat side down on the baking sheet. Add the garlic cloves to an empty space on the baking sheet. Place in the preheated 500°F oven until the garlic is golden and the tomatoes are sizzling and the skin is beginning to pull away from the "X," about 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tomatoes cool for at least 5 minutes.
- Turn on the broiler.
- Once the tomatoes are cool enough to touch, you can use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. As you do this, add the skins to a small strainer over a large mixing bowl. Finely chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic. Add both to the bowl. Use a metal spatula to scrape any brown bits of tomato, and any remaining olive oil from the baking sheet and add it to the bowl. Use the back of a spoon to press down on the tomato skins to get any excess juice into the bowl.
- Roast the poblano and jalapeño peppers: Cut them in half, remove the seeds and pith, and place them round side up on a baking sheet. Place them directly under the broiler until the skin is fairly evenly charred and blistered, about 2 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from under the broiler and let the peppers cool for a few minutes. Use your hands or the dull side of a paring knife to remove the skin. Finely chop them and add them to the bowl with the tomatoes and garlic.
- Add the onion, cilantro and lime juice to the bowl and mix everything together. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. If the tomatoes aren't especially sweet, add a pinch or two of sugar. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)
Jerra
Hi! I’m planning to make this with my garden poblanos and tomatoes. Two questions, 1) do you think it would freeze well and for how long? And 2) if I don’t like too much spice and my poblanos are already a little hot would you leave out the jalapeño or maybe do bell pepper or something similar?
Valentina
Hi Jerra, Thanks for writing in. Yes, you can freeze it -- however, when salsas are frozen and then thawed, they become a bit watery. You can drain some of the liquid off, and be sure to use an airtight container, and it should be okay. As for the heat, I would taste the jalapeños to see if they're hot -- sometimes they aren't, in which case, I'd use them, but definitely remove the seeds. If they are too hot for you, yes, leave them out. And if you want to skip that step, I'd replace them with Anaheim chiles -- maybe even for some of the poblanos also, if they're especially hot. So great you can get ingredients from your yard. I hope you enjoy the salsa. 🙂 ~Valentina
P.S.Maybe have someone else taste the jalapeños if you really don't like too much heat -- just in case.
Debbie
So good! I used canned tomatoes and still outstanding!!
Valentina
Hi Debbie. Fantastic! So happy you loved it, and great to know how well it worked with the canned tomatoes. Thank you for sharing! 🙂 ~Valentina
Valentina
Thanks, Dawn. Yes, way back when, I learned the hard way about the variation in the heat levels in peppers. 😉 Happy you like this recipe! ~Valentina
Dawn
Just in time for this upcoming weekend! I love chips and salsa, especially when the salsa is homemade. Though, this salsa would be great with so many other things. So much flavour! And great tip to taste the chili peppers. It's amazing how much they can vary in spice level, right?!
Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man!
I love a good salsa! This one certainly sounds good! And you've done an amazing job of photographing it!
Valentina
You're so kind, Jeff. Thank you and I hope you love it! 🙂 ~Valentina
Healthy World Cuisine
Roasting those poblanos gives it so much extra flavor! Perfect way to enjoy the end of the summer's harvest.
Valentina
Thank you! And yes, the poblanos add such and incredible smoky and earthy flavor. enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina