Our Favorite Salsa Roja

A molcajete with tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, peppers, and salt laid out

April 13, 2023

Salsa roja — also known as Salsa Chorreada, or Salsa Molcajete (for the incredible tool used to make it) — is a Mexican classic, the salsa every home cook worth their salt should have a version of. Our recipe comes from our partners the Juárez family (makers of our Molcajete) and utilizes an herb native to Mexico called pipitza. The flavor is similar to cilantro, but packs a much bigger punch: it's citrusy, with hints of pine and mint and the bite of arugula. It's worth seeking out if you can find it at your local Mexican market, but you can substitute cilantro in a pinch.

Salsa Roja or Salsa Molcajete

Yolanda Juárez Gutiérrez

Ingredients

1 handful of Serrano chile peppers (approximately 10)
1 lb red tomatoes
1/2 bunch fresh pipitza or cilantro
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
Salt

Directions

Char the serrano peppers on the comal, turning until all sides are blackened. Let cool, slice open and remove seeds, depending on spice tolerance.
Char the tomatoes on the comal, turning until all sides are blackened and the tomatoes begin to slump.
Wash the pipitza (if using) and remove the stems, reserving the leaves. If using cilantro, remove any tough stems, but feel free to use the soft stems.
Grind the chiles, pipitza or cilantro leaves, garlic cloves and tomatoes (one at a time, since they won't fit if you add them all at once) in the molcajete until achieving a rustic but uniform consistency.
Season with salt to taste.

1 comment

TONY SARMIENTO | October 15, 2025

I have been looking for the real deal and this is it , taking my time seasoning it because I know in the long run it makes all the difference in the world. Pray it’s close to MOM and GRANDMAS salsa.