Spicy Salsa Macha Recipe

Spicy Salsa Macha with chiles de arbol, black sesame seeds, peanuts, and garlic. Completely adaptable, this oil-based Mexican salsa is rich, flavorful, tangy, spicy, perfect for drizzling over everything from avocado toast to eggs to popcorn!

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This first time I had an oil-based salsa like this one was when Armando and I visited Mercado la Merced in Mexico City. We stumbled upon a vendor who sold all sorts of preserved goods from hibiscus jam to canned sardines. He had an extensive selection of salsas machas and let us try many of them.

My favorite was a fiery one with a sweet finish. I don’t know exactly what was in it (he wouldn’t share) but I’ve done my best to recreate it and I think I’ve come pretty close.

What is salsa macha?

Salsa Macha has been gaining popularity in recent years here in the US and with good reason. It is a super flavorful salsa that is amazing on everything from tortilla chips to fish tacos.

Many cultures have similar oil-based chile condiments, I’m thinking, XO sauce from Hong Kong, the many crispy chile-garlic sauces from China and Southeast Asia, and others.

Salsa Macha translates to “Brave Salsa” which is appropriate in this case, because this Salsa Macha Recipe is spicy! Many others however, are not. Lots of dried chiles are used to make Salsa Macha including ancho chiles and guajillos, which result in a much milder salsa.

This salsa is extremely balanced. It is not highly acidic or salty or sweet. Every taste profile is there, but nothing should stick out—except the spice, that is front and center.

Ingredients List

Making Salsa Macha gives you an excellent excuse to visit your local Latin market! There you will find the dried chiles and jamaica or dried hibiscus flowers you’ll need. Here’s the full list:

• Dried pasilla chiles
• Dried arbol chiles
• Avocado oil
• Garlic
• Roasted, salted peanuts
• Pomegranate arils
• Black sesame seeds
• Flor de jamaica (Dried hibiscus flowers)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Kosher salt
• Dried mint

How to make salsa macha

1. Remove all the stems and seeds from the chiles (use gloves if your hands are sensitive to heat). Cut them into 1/4-inch thick pieces and place in a fine mesh sieve. Give them a good rinse.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add garlic cloves. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat then lower heat to medium and let cook until garlic turns golden brown.
3. Remove from heat and add chiles, pomegranates, sesame seeds, and jamaica. Let cool for 30 minutes.
4. Transfer mixture to a blender or food processor and add 1/2 cup of the peanuts, vinegar, salt, and mint.
5. Turn on the food processor and pulse briefly until everything is finely chopped, but not pureed.
6. Chop the remaining peanuts just a few times until some of them are chopped but a few remain halved or close to whole.
7. Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in remaining peanuts. Taste and add more salt or vinegar as needed.
8. Drizzle over steamed rice, popcorn, pizza, eggs, avocado toast, roasted vegetables, tacos, quesadillas, beans, soup, the list goes on and on.
9. Salsa will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.

Variations

Once you get a handle on the technique, it’s fun to play around with this recipe. Feel free to swap the ingredients listed here for the ones you have on hand. Just keep the proportions the same, meaning around 2 ounces dried chiles, 3/4 cup nuts, and so on. Here are some suggestions:

Swap olive oil for the avocado oil. Keep in mind however that olive oil has a much stronger flavor, mild olive oil will work best.

Switch up the chiles. Like I mentioned before, if you don’t want it super spicy, use a mild chile like guajillo or ancho for the arbol chiles. Or add some smoke and use chipotles or morita chiles.

Change the fruit. The pomegranate in this recipe is a bit unusual. Make a more traditional version with the same amount of dried fruit like dried cherries, cranberries, or currants.

More Salsa Recipes To Try!

• Easy Jalapeño Avocado Salsa
• Roasted Green Hatch Chile Salsa
• Fiery Habanero Tomatillo Salsa
• Salsa Morita {Morita Chile Salsa}
• Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa
• Spicy Arbol Chile Salsa
• Smoky Chipotle Guacamole Recipe

Place that saucepan over medium

And get to cooking! If you’ve never had Salsa Macha before, you are going to be blown away, it is so good. When you make it, snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

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Resources

Pura Macha from Masienda