The Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa is a simple way to add fire-roasted flavor to your next outdoor barbecue. It’s a fantastic way to use up those wonderful summer tomatoes and peppers. Simply cook the ingredients until they are charred and roasted, then mix until smooth. This vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free salsa recipe is simple to create or alter.
It’s difficult to stray from my go-to blender salsa recipe. It’s the best salsa to eat all year. BUT, when I have an excess of fresh tomatoes and peppers in late summer, this is the greatest way to use them up while making a fantastic fire roasted tomato salsa!
Roasting is simply high-heat cooking in an oven or over an open fire. The crusty appearance that comes from the Maillard Reaction, or browning process, that high heat offers starts with the flavor that comes from roasting. It also gives a charred touch to the flavor profile with tomatoes and peppers. For this, we’ll roast the vegetables over the grill for flavor and char, then mix them into a simple and delicious salsa.
Roasted Tomato Salsa Ingredients
Using a few flavor ingredients, we’ve achieved a balance of sweetness and fire. The majority of the ingredients for this fire roasted salsa will be grilled or roasted over fire, with a few fresh items added to the blender.
BEST TOMATOES: Tomatoes aren’t all made equal. Because roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, and tomato on the vine kinds are denser and contain less water, we prefer to utilize them. Larger tomatoes, such as huge heirlooms or beefsteak, contain more water, making the salsa more liquid in texture. When possible, choose the denser varieties. If you only have large poblano peppers, add a couple more on the grill to thicken the salsa.
ALLIUM – ONION AND GARLIC: The allium components give the salsa structure and acidity. Red onions are delicious and have the strongest flavor. They will sweeten slightly as they roast, but the acidic flavor will remain. Consider sweet onions or shallots if you want to reduce the acidity. Spring onions, or green onions for the mildest flavor, are other interesting onions to consider.
PEPPERS: The roasted peppers give the salsa a kick of spice, sweetness, and richness. Depending on your taste, other peppers can be substituted in and out. If you have large, watery tomatoes, you can compensate by adding extra peppers to give the salsa a thicker consistency.
Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
Equipment of Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
- Small Cast Iron or Grill safe pan for garlic.
Ingredients of Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
- 2 pounds fresh roma tomatoes, stems removed
- 1/2 red onion, skin removed
- 2 whole poblano peppers cut in half and seeds removed
- 2 whole jalapeños, cut in half and seeds removed
- 4 cloves garlic, skin still on
- 1 whole serrano pepper
- 1 whole lime, cut in half
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions of Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe
- Preheat grill using the two zone or direct/indirect method of grilling. Target 450 – 500 degrees F over the direct side of heat.
- Place all the prepared grilled ingredients on a sheet tray including, tomatoes, onion, peppers, and lime. Put the garlic in a small cast iron pan to prevent them from falling through the grate.
- Place the ingredients over direct heat. Rotate using long tongs, frequently, until the outside of the ingredients have a charred look and are soft in texture. The peppers should cook in 5 – 6 minutes. Followed by the tomatoes, lime, and garlic at 10 minutes. The onion should be done in 12 – 15 minutes depending on the size.
- Let the tomatoes and peppers cool slightly and then remove the skins. Also remove the dense stem area inside the tomatoes as well if they have any.
- Add the roasted ingredients into the blender. Squeeze the lime juice into the tomato mix. Also add the cilantro and salt. Pulse a few times and season to taste. Add more lime if lacking acidity and salt to your preferred taste.
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