Salsa Tlaquepaque (Tlaquepaque, Jalisco is a beautiful town in Mexico) is a delicious and zesty salsa made with fresh tomatillos, garlic, onions, dried chiles, and a secret ingredient.
It is perfect for adding a little spice to your favorite Mexican dishes, making tacos, or enjoying a dip with tortilla chips (affiliate link).
About this recipe
Even though this salsa gets its name from Tlaquepaque in Jalisco, Mexico, it is very popular in Monterrey, Mexico. It is one of those dishes we don’t know why the name of or where it comes from originally, but it is so delicious it’s worth making.
This traditional Mexican salsa is made by roasting the vegetables and chiles, blending them, and mixing instant coffee at the end.
The result? This chile de Arbol-guajillo salsa has a deep, bold flavor that can be used in almost any Mexican dish, like tacos Tlaquepaque, for enchiladas or to eat as chips and salsa appetizers.
Ingredients for the salsa
- Tomatillos, remove the husk, and wash the tomatillos before using.
- Onion, cut into quarters, so it has more surface to char; this will give more flavor to the salsa.
- Garlic, peeled
- Guajillo peppers, remove the stem and the seeds if you want a less spicy and smoother texture salsa.
- Chile de Arbol, this chile is very spicy; use more or less depending on the spice level you like.
- Instant coffee is the secret ingredient in salsa. It gives a great depth of flavor to it.
How to make the salsa Tlaquepaque
- Roasting the vegetables in the air fryer. Place on a baking sheet or air fryer (affiliate link) basket the tomatillos, onion, and garlic seasoned with oil and salt for 6 minutes at 400ºF. Open, move the vegetables and place the chiles. Roast for 1 more minute.
- Roasting vegetables over the stove. Roast the vegetables over medium-high heat on a skillet or comal. Turn frequently until the vegetables are roasted on all sides. Roast for two minutes on each side.
- Blend. Blend all the ingredients with a good pinch of salt. You can add vegetable broth (affiliate link) or water to help the blender run smoothly.
- Mix the coffee in. Pour the chile de Arbol-guajillo salsa into a small bowl and mix the instant coffee. Let it sit for five minutes, check for seasoning, adjust if necessary and enjoy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know the chiles are roasted and ready? You can smell the chile aroma, and their color changes; it becomes a bit darker.
How to make salsa in the air fryer (affiliate link) best tips. Making salsa in an air fryer includes using fresh ingredients, preheating the air fryer, and using a food processor (affiliate link) or blender to chop the ingredients before adding them to the air fryer.
Which instant coffee is the best? Use the one you have on hand; instant coffee will work with this salsa.
How to store the salsa? It is best to store salsa in a covered container in the fridge, which will keep for up to a week. You can also freeze the salsa for up to three months, and adjust the seasoning when thawed.
Other salsa recipes that you may like:
- Authentic salsa verde
- Salsa verde, two ways
- Enchilada sauce
- Salsa molcajeteada
- Two ingredient Mexican salsa
- Creamy avocado salsa
Salsa Tlaquepaque
Equipment
- Airfryer
- Frying pan
- belender
Ingredients
- 6 tomatillos
- 1 onion, medium
- 2 garlic cloves
- 6 guajillo peppers
- 3 chile de arbol
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee add more if needed
Instructions
Roast the vegetables
- Roasting the vegetables in the air fryer. Place on a baking sheet or air fryer basket the tomatillos, onion, and garlic seasoned with oil and salt for 6 minutes at 400ºF. Open, move the vegetables and place the chiles. Roast for 1 more minute.
- Roasting vegetables over the stove. Roast the vegetables and chiles over medium-high heat on a skillet or comal. Turn frequently until the vegetables are roasted on all sides. Roast for two minutes on each side.
Make the salsa
- Blend. Blend all the ingredients with a good pinch of salt. You can add vegetable broth or water to help the blender run smoothly.
- Mix the coffee in. Pour the chile de Arbol-guajillo salsa into a small bowl and mix the instant coffee. Let it sit for five minutes, check for seasoning, adjust if necessary and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I have a Profesional Certification in vegan cooking; in the world of cooking based on vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes… in clean, organic and vegan food.
My cookbook is called Yo Cocino Latino..
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Very good! I used half the chili de árbol and it was still pretty spicy.