Salsa De Chiles De Arbol: Red Hot!

cookiedog's Note:

This salsa is definitely not for everyone. This is only for those of you who like things Super Duper Hot!!! It makes just a very small amount because you really only need a few drops to give plenty of heat. I don't recommend this for chips, but it is excellent in seafood soups and on anything fish or shellfish. I always serve this with fish tacos making sure to label the dish HOT! From Baja: Cooking on the Edge. Don't make this is you can't take the heat ;)

• Total Time: 22 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 7 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 0.5 cup

• 1 large garlic clove, unpeeled
• 1 cup dried arbol chile, stemmed (about 30 chiles)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon vinegar, preferably Heinz

Directions:

1. Lay a sheet of foil in a heavy cast-iron frying pan or comal. Over medium-high heat in a well-ventilated area, dry-roast the garlic until the skin in blackened in places and the garlic is soft (about 7 minutes). Remove the peel.
2. Wearing gloves, seed the chiles and place in a blender. Process until well pulverized. Add the garlic, water, and salt and puree until as smooth as possible. Scrape into a bowl and add the vinegar. Let stand 30 minutes. Taste for seasoning. The sauce should be hot and highly seasoned; add more vinegar and salt if necessary. If desired, the salsa may be thinned with a little water.
3. Note: This sauce may be strained before serving (I never do). I also leave the seeds in the chiles which makes it hotter.

Reviews

[RichRice]

I started with this recipe, then improvised a bit to bring it to my liking. Awesome stuff! WOW did I get it hot- like almost radioactive.. I added 5 large cherry tomatoes and cut up a small yellow onion, doubled the salt and vinegar, and used 3 large cloves of garlic, prepared as directed. It's really good, but really, really hot. Be sure to wear some gloves, and don't splash any of this stuff in your eyes! Thanks to the OP for a great guide!