How To Make Morita Salsa
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Switch up your dipping with this spicy, smoky, naturally Gluten Free Morita Salsa. Moritas are dried Chipotle Chiles and they do pack a bit of heat. You can regulate that to some extent by using more or fewer Moritas but this sauce is going to be spicy. Sometimes we need that extra spice in life! This salsa is great for dipping chips or vegetables and I really like to put it on other dishes such as tacos, stuffed peppers, rice, etc.
This recipe is naturally gluten free
Watch a Video
Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the kitchen making Morita Salsa:
The Ingredients
This recipe consists of few ingredients blended into a smooth sauce. The Moritas may be the hardest to find. If you can’t find them locally they are available here at Amazon.com. We made a trip to Hatch, New Mexico in September and brought back some of these fantastic chiles. They have been showing up in a lot of our food ever since. We made a video of our time in New Mexico which you can watch here.
Another chile in this sauce is Chipotle in Adobo Sauce. You can usually find this in the Mexican Food section of your grocery store. We always found it in a can but recently we’ve been seeing it in a jar, which is even more convenient. If you can’t find this locally you can find it here at Amazon.com.
The rest of the ingredients are kitchen staples, just garlic, tomatoes, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt. You can substitute another kind of vinegar if you need to. I just like the fruitiness of apple cider vinegar in this salsa.
Blanch the Tomatoes
We begin by blanching the tomatoes to make it easier to peel and then seed them. A very helpful trick is to lightly score an ‘x’ on the top and bottom of the tomato before submerging in boiling water for 30 seconds. Then they go into an icewater bath until they are cool enough to peel.
Cook the Moritas In Oil
Once we have the tomatoes peeled and seeded it’s time to work on the chiles and garlic. We heated 1/4 cup of oil in a pan and then added the Moritas. After a couple minutes, flipping them over occasionally, they start to puff up. Be careful not to burn them or they will get bitter. After they are puffed up we’ll put them into a hot water bath for 20 to 30 minutes before going into the blender.
Cook the Anchos
After the Moritas the Ancho pieces go into the same oil. I push down on them with a wooden spoon and flip them over frequently. You will see blisters form in the skins and then they are ready to go into the hot water bath. Again, be careful not to burn them.
Cook the Garlic
After the anchos are in the hot water we put the unpeeled garlic cloves in the pan and cook them until the skins get some color on them. After they are cool we peel them and then add them to the blender.
Blend Everything
After the garlic is cooked and cooled and the chiles have softened in the hot water we will then put everything in the blender. If there is oil left in the pan, we’ll add that too. Blend everything until it is all nice and smooth. If it gets too tight then add a splash of the chile soaking water.
Push Through A Fine Mesh Strainer
The last step in making our salsa is to push it through a fine-mesh strainer. The smoother you blend it the easier this step is. It can require some patience but it’s well worth it for the smoothest finish on the salsa. I like to use a rubber spatula for this as the flexibility helps push the sauce through the strainer.
Store In the Refrigerator
Now our sauce is finished and it’s time for us to start enjoying it. We like to use it as a dip or a condiment on a wide variety of foods. It adds a delicious smoky heat.
Here are some more salsa recipe ideas:
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Morita Salsa
- Yield: Approximately 3 Cups 1x
Description
A spicy salsa that relies on the flavor of Morita Chiles and Chipotle Chiles with a little garlic and fresh tomato to smooth it out.
Ingredients
- 4 Moritas
- 1 Ancho Chile
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 2 Tomatoes
- 1 Tbls Chipotle in Adobo Sauce
- 1/2 Tbls Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
Instructions
- Blanch the tomatoes: Remove the stem completely and score an ‘x’ lightly on both top and bottom of the tomatoes. Submerge in boiling water for 30 seconds, then transfer to an icewater bath. Cut them into quarters, remove the skins and seeds and put them into your blender.
- Wash the dried chiles. Remove the seeds and stem from the Ancho and tear into smaller pieces.
- Heat 1/4 cup of peanut oil in a pan. Add the Moritas and cook until they puff up – maybe a minute or two. Put the Moritas in a small bowl with enough hot water to cover.
- In the same oil, add the Ancho pieces. Press down on them with a wooden spoon until they bubble a little. Be careful not to burn them. Add the Ancho pieces to your hot water bath, making sure they are covered with water, and let soak for 20 to 30 minutes.
- In the same oil, add the garlic cloves with the skin still on. Cook until they get some color on the outside, about 5 minutes or so. Let them cool, then peel and put in the blender with the tomatoes.
- When the chiles have softened, cut the Moritas in half and add all the chiles to the blender.
- Add the Apple Cider Vinegar, Chipotle in Adobo Sauce, Salt and Sugar. Blend until it forms a smooth paste. If it gets too tight, add 1/4 Cup of the chile soaking liquid.
- Press the sauce through a fine mesh strainer.
- The sauce is ready to eat! Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
The ratio of Moritas to Tomatoes is totally adjustable. I like to double the Moritas and Chipotle for a sauce that is much stronger tasting and much spicier.
