This Morita Salsa brings rich, smoky flavor to the table and shows just how good chile morita is in everyday cooking. The morita pepper is a great ingredient to keep in your kitchen, see my guide below.
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Morita Pepper Salsa
There’s nothing I love more than sitting down to a big bowl of salsa & guacamole and tortilla chips. If you’re like me, you crave it all the time! There’s just something so satisfying about it.
I wanted to switch things up and make a smoky salsa. The result was this flavorful Salsa Morita, full of all your salsa suspects – dried chiles morita, serrano peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, plus a little sugar, white vinegar (cider or apple vinegar will work too) oh and salt and pepper.
Adding a fresh serrano pepper lends a little fire to this salsa. The result is smoky and bright, tinged with sweetness. Irresistible on tacos, tortas, on top of eggs and among so many other dishes.
Also, if you’re curious about this pepper, scroll down below for my chile morita guide.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
**This post was originally published on Apr 2022. It has been updated to be more helpful.
**Here are the visuals for how to make it. You’ll find the complete recipe and ingredient list in the card at the end.**
How To Make Salsa Morita
- Start by heating a large skillet over medium-high heat and line it with foil (or fire up your grill if you prefer that smoky flavor). Add the tomatoes and serrano pepper straight onto the hot surface.
- Let them roast, turning occasionally, until the skins are charred and the tomatoes are soft and juicy, this should take around 20 minutes. If the serrano finishes cooking before the tomatoes, just pull it off and set it aside. Once cool enough to handle, remove the stem from the serrano but leave the seeds in for that extra kick.
- While everything’s roasting, bring two cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the morita chiles, onion, and garlic, and let them simmer until the water comes to a rolling boil. Then turn off the heat and let the ingredients soak and soften while the tomatoes finish roasting.
- When everything is ready, transfer the tomatoes, serrano, soaked chiles, onion, and garlic to a blender. Add a pinch of sugar, a splash of white vinegar, and season with salt and pepper.
- Blend until smooth. If the mixture feels too thick, add a bit of that soaking liquid, about ¼ cup, to help it blend easier.
- Pour the salsa into a bowl, give it a taste, and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Serve it up right away or chill it until you’re ready to use.
What to serve with
Now all you have to do is grab some tortilla chips, dip it into the salsa and savor the smoky flavors! This Morita Salsa also goes great on top of Papas Con Huevo, with Tacos Gobernador or Bistec Ranchero. Enjoy with a glass of agua fresca.
Ana’s Recipe Tips
- Substitute: To maintain the smoky flavor, you can use chipotle from cans, or dried poblano peppers.
- Don’t rush the roasting. Let the tomatoes and serrano get nice and charred—it brings out that deep, smoky flavor. Rotate them often so they cook evenly without burning.
- Keep the serrano seeds (if you like heat). Leaving the seeds in gives the salsa a good level of spice. If you prefer it milder, you can remove them after roasting.
- Blend to your texture preference. Some like it silky smooth, others like it a little chunky. Stop the blender when it looks how you want it.
- Let it rest. Give the salsa 10–15 minutes to sit before serving. The flavors settle in and taste even better.
This bright, colorful, super delicious, and deeply satisfying salsa is waiting for you. Are you going to make it?
⭐️ I love to hear from readers and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! Don’t forget to subscribe or follow along on Instagram for all the latest updates!
Print Recipe:
Morita Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatoes (about 3 medium) - cored
- 1 small serrano pepper (optional for extra heat)
- 3 morita chiles - rinsed and stemmed
- ½ medium white onion - cut in two quarters
- 1 large garlic clove - peeled
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Line a large skillet with aluminum foil and heat on medium-high heat. Or roast on a grill.1 pound tomatoes (about 3 medium), 1 small serrano pepper (optional for extra heat)
- Place the tomatoes and serrano pepper. Roast until all sides have blackened and the tomatoes are cooked. Keep turning to cook all sides. About 20 minutes total.
- Note: If the pepper gets roasted faster than the tomatoes, remove and set aside. Remove the stem from the serrano pepper and keep the seeds.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add two cups of water, the chiles morita, onion and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat until it boils. Remove from heat and set aside to hydrate the chile until the tomatoes are cooked through.3 morita chiles, ½ medium white onion, 1 large garlic clove
- In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, serrano, chile morita peppers, onion, garlic, sugar, white vinegar, salt and pepper until smooth.¼ teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt , ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Note: If the salsa is too dense to blend, add ¼ cup water from where the chiles were cooked.
- Transfer to a bowl and taste. Add more salt and pepper if needed according to taste.
Notes
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
More Mexican Salsas To Try:
All About Chiles Morita
Morita chiles are jalapeño peppers that are left on the vine to ripen until they turn red. Once harvested, they’re dried and smoked to develop their fruity, slightly acidic, and earthy flavor with subtle smokey taste.
They’re small to medium-sized, averaging 3 to 5 centimeters in length, and have a flattened and shriveled, conical appearance, tapering slightly towards a rounded tip. The skin has a pliable and leathery consistency and not too rigid.
Did you know?
Jalapeños have two stages: green and red. This is due to their different maturation and when they are harvested from the plant. The sooner you pick them, the greener the Jalapeño will be and also the less spicy it will be. As the fruit matures, it will change towards a red color and the spiciness level will also increase.
Morita pepper spiciness
Moritas are not very spicy and have a moderate heat reminiscent of the intensity of a fresh red jalapeno. They rank between 5,000 – 10,000 SHU in Scoville heat units (SHU). It is important to note that Morita chile peppers are also known as a type of chipotle chile pepper and are similar to that spiciness.
Chile Morita Scoville Scale
How To Use/Cook
Chiles Morita are a versatile ingredient widely used in traditional Mexican cuisine, favored for their smokey, earthy, and fruity taste. This pepper is very popular in Mexico but mostly in the states of Chihuahua, Veracruz and Puebla.
They’re used ground in the preparation of marinades, moles and also incorporated into casseroles, bean and eggs dishes, or they can be diced and stirred into stews and soups. You can make all kinds of salsas as well like the below tasty Salsa Morita. It’s a great all-purpose table salsa and I’m sure you’ll love it!
The dried peppers can be used dried or re-hydrated, and it is recommended to toast the peppers before using them to enhance their depth of flavor.
How do you rehydrate the dried pepper?
Just immersed them in hot water for 15 to 30 minutes to rehydrate. Once softened, the peppers are often blended into sauces, salsas, glazes, and marinades as a flavoring.
Where To Buy
Look for dried chiles that are supple, not brittle; more or less unbroken; and have minimal pale spots. Store dried chiles in an airtight resealable bag, and keep them in a cool, dry place for up to six months.
Where? Check out your local latin grocery stores in the dried spices section. Many regular grocery stores will carry these chiles in the international sections as well. Or, via online retailers like Amazon, Walmart or Spice stores. In Europe there are online suppliers like The Chilli Experience.
How to Store Chile Moritas
Top Tip!
Can only find brittle dried chiles? Try this: Put them in an airtight resealable bag with a square of just-damp paper towel and by the next day, they’ll be supple.
This salsa morita is soooo good! I love the depth of the flavors without being over powering. Everyone loved it and can’t wait to make it again!
Thanks so much Felipe! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it. xx, Ana
Delicious! Try using red wine vinegar instead of white vinegar.
Wow this is so good! I’m addicted to a local brand of morita salsa but it has become a very expensive habit. I’m so happy to discover I can make something very similar for a fraction of the price. The most difficult thing was finding the morita peppers where I live. In order to better match the ingredients list of my fave brand, I used lime juice instead of vinegar, and added a big handful of cilantro. I also subbed a small home-grown jalapeno for the serano. Next time I would keep back the seeds and membranes from the jalapeno and not add until after tasting the salsa. My first batch is HOT. But so good. Thank you for this recipe. I found it especially helpful that you list the ingredients and quantities right in each step – it saves so much scrolling.
So good! Used jalapeño instead of Serrano. Thanks for sharing!
This is my go to salsa morita recipe. I omit the sugar but otherwise this is a hit every time I share it with friends. I like the smokey flavor and the subtle heat.
Great to hear Diana!!! I’m thrilled that you like this recipe for morita salsa… I need to make it again! 🙂 Thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is fabulous! My moritas were so spicy (I felt like my lips were on fire just from tasting the chile water) so I only used one but it was perfect. Thanks so much for the recipe.
There are so many great recipes to use these with. Love how easy it is to prepare them. Thank you!
Thanks so much, I’ve learned a LOT here about chile morita!
What an informative post. I love chillies, so I liked learning all about them.
Chile Morita has this perfect baked aroma. It is now a must-have in my kitchen, thank you for presenting it to me.
I’ve never heard of these chillies before but I know my family love to try new ideas. This salsa looks so rich and delicious too.
I even added extra moritas. Tastes like canned tomato paste. Not like the flavorful morita salsa I’m used to.
That’s so strange! Could be the chiles you used were not good quality? This salsa has been enjoyed, approved and saved by so many!
Your Salsas are The Best Ana!!! heading to the Mexican grocery store this weekend to buy Morita chiles to make this salsa!
XOXO <3
You’ll love it Brenda!!!! It’s seriously an addicting salsa. XOXO! Ana
This salsa Morita turned out amazing! We could not stop eating it with tortilla chips…now i have to make it again to eat it with actual food lol! So good!