Salsa Macha

Name: Salsa Macha
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 cups
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil; 5 garlic cloves, peeled; 1 cup mixed roasted nuts, such as peanuts, pecans and almonds (salted is fine); 78 grams ancho chiles (about 5 large), stemmed and seeded; 7 large chiles de árbol, stemmed; 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds; 2 dried bay leaves, crumbled; 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

By Rick A. Martínez

Updated Jan. 25, 2023

Total Time: 20 minutes
Rating: 4(106)
Comments: Read comments

The flavor and texture of a salsa macha is almost like a chile crisp made with toasted Mexican dried chiles, nuts, seeds and herbs. This salsa lasts for months in the refrigerator and is great over eggs, fish, vegetables or anything that is mild in flavor or lean that could benefit from a rich punch.

Featured in: Rick Martínez’s Essential Mexican Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:2 cups

1½cups vegetable oil
5garlic cloves, peeled
1cup mixed roasted nuts, such as peanuts, pecans and almonds (salted is fine)
78grams ancho chiles (about 5 large), stemmed and seeded
7large chiles de árbol, stemmed
2tablespoons raw sesame seeds
2dried bay leaves, crumbled
1teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1½teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oil, garlic and nuts in a large saucepan over medium until the garlic is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic and nuts to a heatproof bowl to cool.
Step 2
Add the chiles to the pan with the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring and flipping the chiles, until the oil is slightly reddish and the chiles are brick-red in color, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to the nut mixture; let cool for 5 minutes.
Step 3
While the nuts are cooling, add the seeds to the hot oil and set aside; they will toast as they sit. Purée the chile mixture with the bay leaves, oregano and salt in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the seed-and-oil mixture until the chiles are finely ground.

Tip

The salsa can be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to several months.

Ratings

4 out of 5

106 user ratings

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Comments

Diana2 years ago

Typically I make some slight modifications after tasting, but this salsa recipe is amazing as written. For people who are trying to cut back on salt, I would taste before adding additional Crystal Diamond, although it is the perfect cooking salt (not as salty as other types of salt). Thank you Rick for a wonderful recipe. I add chile crisp to everything, now I will add your salsa!

Obsessed2 years ago

Love. I used olive oil. No arbol so did mix of pasilla and ancho. Subbed tahini for the sesame. Like 2TBSP. use primarily peanuts with some walnuts and pecans. I would make this to give as gifts.

Margot2 years ago

I loved this one! I added a little thyme aswell

Susie21 hours ago

Mine had a bit of a burnt taste! Maybe just cooked chilis and nuts too long?! But added a little honey to cut that taste, and it really helped!

Janet3 weeks ago

Made this exactly as written. I’m not the biggest chili crisp lover so wasn’t sure how much I would like it. But then we drizzled it on simple tacos of corn tortillas with mashed avocado and cheddar. Oh my. Blown away - like nothing I’ve ever had and turned something quite simple into something extraordinary.

Jennifer6 months ago

So good! I like to add a little vinegar as well.

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