Skip to main content
Epicurious
Cookbooks

Blistered Tomato Salsa

If you can grill the tomatoes for this salsa—especially over wood—so much the better. But you can broil or even pan-grill them, and the salsa will still be good, as long as you make sure they blacken a bit. This makes a wonderful all-purpose condiment, and a great salsa for burritos and tacos; it’s also fabulous used in an omelet or scrambled eggs.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 2 cups

Ingredients

12 plum tomatoes, cored
1 large white onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon pure chile powder, like ancho or New Mexico, or to taste
Salt to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Grill, broil, or pan-grill the tomatoes, as close to the heat source as you can get them, until blistered and a little blackened, 5 to 10 minutes.

    Step 2

    Put them in a blender, skins and all, with the onion, garlic, chile powder, and a big pinch of salt. Whiz until chunky, then stir in the cilantro by hand. This is best used right away but will retain decent flavor, covered and refrigerated, for a day or two.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
TagsSalsaCondimentDipSaucePlum TomatoTomatoVegetableCilantroHerbs & SpicesStarterDinnerGluten FreeDairy FreeVeganNut FreeEasyQuick5 Ingredients or FewerGrillingBroilBlenderSummerCookbooks
Read More
Broccoli Confetti Rice
A veg-forward main or gets-along-with-everyone side.
Our Favorite French Onion Soup
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.
Apple-Walnut Charoset
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
The Most-Saved Recipes in the Epicurious App This Week
Like a cucumber-cilantro chutney sandwich and scallop piccata.
The Only Frittata Recipe You’ll Ever Need
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Smoky Lamb With Spiced Yogurt
Serve it with warm pita, rice, or chips for an under-30-minute dinner.
31 Easter Desserts, Each One Better Than a Chocolate Egg
Like airy lemon chiffon cake and a Cadbury egg–inspired tart.
Caramelized Onion Pasta
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.