Salsas & How to Use Dried Chiles
Pictured: Salsa de Chile Puya. Recipe below.
When most Americans think of salsa, they probably think of the tomato-based salsa “Mexicana” served in a plastic molcajete at a cheap Americanized Mexican restaurant, or the jar of salsa on a grocery store shelf that was probably “made in New York City.” If there’s any spice to it, it probably came from a fresh jalapeño or serrano chile.
Reaching for other types of salsas, we might think of the ubiquitous and dependable salsa verde. And, Tabasco, Texas Pete, and Tapatío hot sauces may even get a nod too—they are salsas after all.
While there’s nothing really wrong with these type of salsas, they are merely a few over-cast characters among an abundance of more exciting, more flavorful all-star sauces from rich heritage of our neighbor to the south.
Upping Your Salsa Game
Stepping up your salsa game is easy, and it starts with learning to use dried chiles!
First, you’ll need a few basic kitchen tools:
Knife or kitchen scissors
Skillet, preferably cast iron
Blender or better yet, an immersion stick blender
Spice grinder or coffee grinder (dedicated to spices/chiles)
Now, while there are some nuances and future lessons to be learned, you really only need to know a few basic things to get started. Once you’re hooked, like I was, you will inevitably dive deeper into this complex world.
Dried Chiles Basics
Each chile, whether dried or fresh, brings its own heat level, flavor characteristics, and history to the game. The fresh version of a chile may differ in heat and flavor to its dried counterpart. And, there may even be more than one dried version of a chile, depending on chile color (e.g. red or green) and drying technique!
For instance, the famous jalapeño has several dried versions. But, the two main versions, both called chipotles, are smoked red jalapeños:
Chipotle Morita
Chipotle Meco (or also known as “típico“)
These two versions are sometimes confused or mislabelled in markets.
The word “chipotle” derives from the Nahuatl word “chilpoctli,” which means “smoked chile pepper.”
Chipotles are the impetus of my obsession. They are “the bacon of spices.” Yes, they are that good.
The Chipotle Morita (meaning “small mulberry”) is the most common, and the most used chipotle pepper. The Chipotle Morita is a slightly smaller, reddish-black, wrinkled chile, with a rich berry-like aroma and a warm, smoky flavor with hints of its fruitiness. They are surprisingly spicy too.
It’s cousin, the Chipotle Meco, is often larger with a brown, cigar-like exterior. The Chipotle Meco are left to ripen on the bush longer (until they almost dry out), and then smoked twice as long as the Morita, giving them an earthy, grass-like flavor complimenting its smokier quality, with less fruitiness. Sadly these are harder to find in the US.
There are many other varieties of chiles. Here’s a short list of my favorite, commonly found chiles:
Chile Guajillo — The second most common chile in Mexico, the Guajillo is a dried Mirasol chile. It has a very rich cherry-like flavor with a mild heat.
Chile Pasilla Negro — One of the “holy trinity” of chiles in Mexico, and is typically found in mole negro. The Pasilla is the dried version of the Chilaca chile. It is long, skinny and greenish-black, with a raisin/prune-like flavor. The heat is medium to medium-hot. This pepper is sometimes confused with the chile ancho in some areas, so the size and shape should help clarify any confusion.
Chile Ancho — Another of the “holy trinity” of chiles, and the most commonly used pepper in Mexico. It is used in mole, adobo, enchilada sauce, soups, etc. The Ancho is a dried red Poblano pepper, so its heat is relatively mild to medium. Its shape is wide and flat, and has a flavor that is rich and berry-like.
Chile Mulato — The last of the “holy trinity” of chiles, and like the Ancho, it is also a dried Poblano (the difference is in the harvesting of the chile). Similarly to the Chipotle Meco, the Mulato is left on the bush to ripen until it turns almost brown. This extra time gives the chile its amazing chocolatey flavor, making it my favorite of the lot.
Chile de Arbol — These small, narrow peppers have a light grassy-like flavor, but you likely won’t notice it much as they pack some intense heat! While you can make them the centerpiece of a salsa, like Alex Stupak’s salsa de chile de arbol, they’re more commonly used as an accent.
Chile Puya — A slightly spicier chile than the Guajillo with a similar cherry-like aroma and flavor. It’s origination is a point of contention on whether it is a hybrid of the chile de Arbol or the Guajillo/Mirasol.
Working with Dried Chiles
There a only a handful of basic concepts when choosing and working with dried chiles.
Choose good dried chiles
Wear gloves when handling chiles. Seriously, wear gloves!
There are two basic ways to use a dried chile: grind or reconstitute.
Add more dimension to your salsa with common spices.
Salsa de Chile Puya Recipe
Makes about 8 oz
Ingredients
5-6 Chile Puya
1 Chile Morita
1 Half of a White Onion
2 Garlic Cloves
1/4 tsp Cumin
1 Clove
1 Allspice Berry
1/4 tsp Oregano
1 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
Salt to taste
Directions
Following the basic methods for using a dried chile, destem, deseed, toast and reconstituted the chiles. While they’re soaking, char the onion half and roast the garlic cloves. Set them aside. While they’re cooling, lightly toast the spices (except the oregano). Set the spices aside. Toast the pumpkin seeds and set aside too.
Next, grind the spices, oregano, and pumpkin seeds in a spice grinder.
Remove the chiles from the bowl and reserve the liquid. Add to a blender with the half of the blended spices, add about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid, and blend until smooth. Add more of the reserved liquid if needed to achieve a good consistency.
Taste and season with salt and more blended spices until it tastes good to you. It’s ok if you didn’t use all of the spices—we’re winging it.
The salsa should store for about a week in an air-tight jar in the fridge.
Addendum
Mexican Salsas Reign Supreme
Threadbare salsas, like salsa Mexicana, may be part of the reason why real Mexican food and its plethora of more complex sauces is often seen as pedestrian or unsophisticated in the culinary world, especially when compared to French food and its celebrated “mother sauces.”
However, I’d argue that Mexican cuisine is more sophisticated even though it may seem rustic. Some Mexican sauces, like mole negro for instance, are even more laborious than any French sauce out there. Hands down. And, their importance to their respective cuisine is arguably as essential if not more so.
Thankfully, chefs like Enrique Olvera of Pujol are providing Mexican cuisine with the credit it deserves on the world stage.









