My recent attempt to replicate the "black salsa" at Baja Fresh was a tasty failure. I didn't come close to replicating Baja's mysterious liquid gold, but I did create a smoky, roasted tomato salsa worth sharing.
Ingredients
8 plum tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1/2 jalapeño
1/2 red onion
1 handful of chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
1 chipotle pepper
Salt to taste
Directions
- Cut tomatoes in half
- Brush olive oil on open side of tomato
- Place tomatoes on hot grill open side down
- Grill until tomatoes they char and skins become loose (about 10 mins)
- Take tomatoes off the grill
- Remove skins
- In a food processor add garlic, jalapeño, and tomatoes; grind
- Stir in diced onions, chipotle pepper, and juice of lime
- Mix the chipotle around to add flavor, then remove
- Add cilantro and salt to taste
The salsa was delicious, but it wasn't a good copycat of the Baja Fresh salsa. Where I went wrong was not leaving the tomatoes on the grill long enough, I think. The problem was that they were shrinking and were starting to fall through the cracks of the grill. If anyone has any information, ANYTHING, on how make recreate the black salsa at Baja Fresh, please share.
I'm entering this salsa recipe in the Houndstooth Gourmet's “You say tomato, I say tomahto” recipe contest.
