Let's salsa! How to make Mexican peanut salsa

This flavourful salsa con cacahuate recipe comes from Enrique Olvera's Meixcan cookbook Tu Casa Mi Casa, and will spice up dishes from around the globe. Here's the full recipe...

7 mins

This is a chunky salsa that is surprisingly versatile, not only with Mexican foods but with a range of other dishes as well. It is a fresh variation of a salsa macha, a chunky, oil-based salsa that is always eaten as a condiment.

If you do not add the Key lime and coriander, this is a shelf-stable salsa. That means you can keep it in the pantry and use the flavoured oil to cook with or use the chunky peanuts as a spicy topping.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 to 15 minutes
Makes: 475 ml

Peanut salsa recipe 

  • 295 ml grapeseed oil
  • 4 pasilla chiles, seeded
  • 15 chiles de árbol, seeded
  • 1 ancho chile, seeded
  • 6 puya or guajillo chiles, seeded
  • 2 morita chiles
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 145 g roasted peanuts
  • 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
  • Juice of 2 Key limes
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh coriander 

How to make peanut salsa: Full method

In a small pot, heat the oil over medium heat until very hot but not smoking. Working one at a time and using tongs, fry the chiles for no more than 2 to 3 seconds each.

Transfer to paper towels. After all chiles have been fried, fry the garlic until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Reserve the oil.

Transfer the chiles, garlic and oil to a blender or a food processor and add the peanuts and salt. Blend until the peanuts are coarsely chopped.

Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Right before serving, mix in the Key lime juice and coriander. Adjust the salt to taste.

 

Tu Casa Mi Casa is the first home cooking book from the internationally celebrated chef Enrique Olvera, who also featured in the Netflix docuseries Chef’s Table.

Learn authentic Mexican cooking with this book, a Mexico City/New York-based ode to the kitchen of his homeland. Find 100 recipes which take basic Mexican dishes, encouraging readers to incorporate traditional and contemporary Mexican ingredients.

More information

Make a full Mexican feast! 

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