Roasted Tomato Serrano Salsa (With a Couple Secrets)

Author Notes

I'm not sure at what point a condiment / salsa becomes a sauce, but thought I'd share one of my favorite salsas that I use with chips, on fish (as shown in the picture with tuna), on grilled steaks, or as a pasta sauce. I've done this salsa for several years now and keep changing it over time, as we all do with even our favorite recipes. I just can't stop tweeking the latest tweek - I think many of you understand. So this is the August 25, 2010 10:37 pm, Pacific Standard Time version. The first secret to this is to roast the tomatoes and serrano peppers in a dry, foil-line saute pan over medium-high heat. It contributes a smokey, roasted flavor to the salsa. The second secret is the soy sauce that's added at the end. It brings up the tomato flavor and balances out the spicey, savory, salty, sweet flavors. Oh, and I recommend small - medium tomatoes instead of those big, gorgeous, juicy ones, as the latter will make this salsa too watery (just my opinion). This salsa is spicy, I won't kid you, but you can tone it down by reducing (or eliminating) the serrano, although I've never done it. You can also reduce the black pepper I imagine, and increase the lime juice, as all these things tend to tone down spice. But in the end, this salsa is mostly for folks who like a little kick in their food. Hope you like it as much as we have. —TheWimpyVegetarian