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This vibrant and spicy orange salsa recipe is exactly the one you'll find at your local authentic Mexican taqueria! It's savory, bright, and has a great heat, perfect for your next taco Tuesday!
Shout out to Bien Chido, our favorite authentic taqueria in South Florida. They've got some of the best tacos I've had from a restaurant. Unfortunately I haven't found a taco place that can compare here in the countryside; I have to drive to Washington D.C. to find non-chain restaurants in general. Not just Mexican cuisine.
I traded the Al Pastor tacos for peace, bunnies, cardinals, and a beautiful home. So I'll just have to make my own, right?
Which is why I brought this tasty bright orange sauce to the blog! My suggestion: dab some of this on top of your tacos, and then drizzle on some salsa verde (a much milder salsa) to help cool your mouth down. My absolute favorite taco sauces!
You might be able to find taqueria-style salsa at your local grocery stores, but why would you when you can make it yourself in less than 15 minutes with clean ingredients and to your own taste? You wouldn't right? Riight.
What is Taquera Salsa?
Salsa Taquera Roja literally translates to red sauce for tacos and it goes by 'taquera sauce' or salsa de chile de arbol (a mouthful!). It's a classic Mexican taco salsa bright orange and full of flavor thanks to the fresh vegetables.
Taquerias (taco shops) all over Mexico serve their tacos with complimentary salsas, and taquera salsa roja is the most popular! It's simple to make with a short list of ingredients, but the flavors are incredibly impactful. You'll want to put this sauce on everything!
Is Salsa Taquera Spicy?
Don't get it twisted, those small dried chile de árbol peppers are spicy! Chile de arbol has 15,000 – 30,000 SHU on the Scoville scale, while guajillo chili (which I use in my birria tacos) has between 2,500 and 5,000 SHU. So if you want more of a medium heat, which is how we do taquera sauce, roll the chiles and cut off the tops to remove the seeds.
Ingredients for Taqueria Style Salsa.
Roma Tomatoes. You can use a can of whole tomatoes outside of tomato season!
White Onions. The different onions have different flavors and uses, y'all! White onions have a sharper flavor than, say, a yellow onion (which I love for soups and stews!). It'll get a little pan seared love before getting blended up nice and smooth.
Arbol peppers. These are the spicy guys, not like guajillo or ancho where they're more sweet or smoky. Chile de arbol are here to kick your butt, so if you don't want a super spicy salsa roja, make sure to deseed and remove their membranes.
Lime juice. A must in basically any salsa, right?
Garlic cloves.
Kosher Salt.
Olive Oil. I love the fruitiness of a good olive oil. Not only does it help with the pan frying of your veggies, but it helps smooth and emulsify the sauce when it's blending.
How to make Mexican Taquera Salsa
I follow my old friend's mama's authentic mexican taco sauce recipe. One, because it's so flavorful and not just spicy. And two, because I'm sure I'll get a phone call or email getting cursed out in Spanish.
Sizzle them up in oil until the onions and tomatoes start getting browned and a little slumped, and then blend it, oil and all, in a high powered blender until smooth and thick. Such an easy salsa recipe for tacos, y'all. This red salsa couldn't get more simple.
Storing, Freezing, and Thawing Instructions
To Store: Transfer the taquera sauce to an airtight glass container (we don't want any staining, amiright?) and store it in the fridge for up to 7 days.
To Freeze: Place the salsa in a freezer safe container or freezer-safe zip top or vacuum-sealed bags and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw it in the fridge, stir it a bit and serve at room temperature.
Tacos and Recipes to Serve Your Salsa with
- Cilantro Lime Rice in a Rice Cooker
- Churrasco (Marinated and Grilled Skirt Steak)
Tools I Used in this Recipe
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Taquera Salsa
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 medium plum tomatoes, quartered
- 1 medium white onion, large diced
- 3 dried chile de árbol peppers, seeded
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed
- Juice of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat a large frying pan with 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the árbol peppers and the smashed garlic to the pan, sautéing for another 2 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and carefully add the onions, tomatoes, peppers, and garlic into a blender.
- Blend all of the salsa ingredients on high speed. While the salsa is still blending, open the small twist top in the middle of the blender top and add the rest of the olive oil. Continue blending until the salsa is smooth and thick.
- Taste, and add lime juice and kosher salt as needed. Serve as a condiment to your favorite tacos.
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