So I actually got around to making a salsa with chile de árbol. Interestingly, it tastes exactly like mediocre red chile salsas I’ve had before.
My question, therefore, is how to improve it?
I’m trying to make a mild to medium salsa. I could definitely add one or two more chiles without making it too hot for me and my roommate, but not more than that.
Overall, I’d say my salsa is (1) not quite the right flavor: feels like there’s a flavor note missing, and it’s just not moreish or craveable like I want; (2) texture is too watery, but there are also too many unincorporated bits of tomato: I want it to be more smooth and a bit clingy when I dip a chip in it, and I don’t get a wet puddle when I add it to food.
So, I could obviously go in a bunch of directions, but I’m going to post my “recipe” in the first comment, and see what y’all think.
My local informant says that if you roast the veggies, you don’t add oil at any stage, and evaluates my salsa as quite good for a first try. I thought it was just acceptable.
by CormoranNeoTropical