Give the Gift of This Pecan Morita Salsa Negra
Give the Gift of This Pecan Morita Salsa Negra
March 24, 2026
While working as an assistant to Ina Garten, Kristina Felix became obsessed with the art of nixtamalization and bought herself a Molinito from Masienda as a birthday gift, immersing herself in the art of tortilla making. Ever since, we've been so lucky to bring Kristina even further into the masaverse, first with a stint on our brand team, then as a recipe tester for our upcoming cookbook, Vitamina T.
Kristina is a class act: after completing her testing work for Vitamina T, she sent homemade thank you gifts to the authors. We haven't been able to stop thinking about the salsa negra she lovingly crafted and jarred ever since. Few gifts are more memorable than homemade ones, and we can hardly think of anything we'd rather receive than a homemade condiment.
Something between a nut butter and a blended salsa macha, this salsa (inspired by Gabriela Camara's recipe for Salsa Negra) is a sweet, smoky, earthy blend of morita chiles, pecans, and piloncillo. Use it like pesto, spread it on a warm tortilla for a quick snack or toss it with freshly cooked pasta and a little pasta water to make a silky delicious sauce.
These days, Kristina develops recipes for NYT Cooking, writes a beautiful newsletter, and is working on a cookbook of her own. We can't wait to share more of her delicious creations.
All Comments
Hi Carol! Yes, great question, and what you’re seeing in the photos is actually the correct texture. When we say “nut butter,” we’re referring more to a natural nut butter, not the super smooth, fully emulsified kind. So the salsa should be a little coarse/grainy with some oil separation, not perfectly creamy. If yours looks slightly textured and a bit loose with oil rising to the top, you’re right where it should be.
The instructions (smooth nut butter texture) don’t appear to match the photos (grainy or granular texture with separated oil). Please advise?
I can’t wait to make this!