Fire Roasted Salsa

Grilled, Broiled or Fire Roasted Salsa

I can honestly say that this Fire Roasted Salsa is amazing and it is, quite possibly, the best salsa I’ve ever tried.  It starts with fresh Hot House Tomatoes, Yellow Onions, Green Bell, Anaheim and Jalapeno Peppers, cilantro, lime and a few other key ingredients.  Although you can find recipes, similar to this one, all over the web, I seriously considered keeping this one all to my self.  But I get too excited when I discover the secrets to authentic recipes.  It makes me want to share it with everyone.  So that’s what I’m going to do today.

Fire Roasted Salsa Preperation

To get the best results, and be sure that your Fire Roasted Salsa tastes amazing, there’s only one thing you need to do before you take the vegetables to the grill.  Cut your onions in half.  It isn’t going to matter if you peel them before or after they roast but it is important that those onion layers get exposed to the grill. Salsa gets a lot of great flavor from onions and they have memory, so adding that smoked flavor to the rings will insure that your salsa tastes amazing when you blend them, together, with the other ingredients.

Fire Roasted Salsa Grilling Technique

Whether you choose to grill, broil or roast your vegetables over an open pit, to make this Fire Roasted Salsa, the timing and flipping is simple.  I average 25 to 30 minutes of roasting time, over medium heat(350 Fahrenheit), and I rotate and flip everything about every 5 minutes.  Look for some good color on the under side and flip.  It’s that easy.  I tend to check the peppers first because they burn quicker than the tomatoes and onions.  The onions I worry about the least.  The tomatoes just need to be pulled off the grill before they pop and loose their juice to the grill.  You should pay attention to where the hot spots are and rotate everything accordingly.  Then remove them from the heat and let them rest for a half an hour or so, until they are cool enough to touch and handle with your hands.  Remove the stems, peel the onions and add the other ingredients.

Fire Roasted Salsa Formula

I have a basic formula that you might find useful when you’re making Fire Roasted Salsa.  For every large Tomato, I add 1 medium sized Onion, 1 Bell Pepper, 1 Anaheim Pepper, 1 Jalapeno and a few cloves of Garlic.  It’s pointless making salsa on that small of a scale and that’s why I double that amount in the ingredients below.  If you want it spicier, add more peppers, different kinds or use less tomato.  It’s really not that difficult to trick up.  But that should give you a better understanding of how to approach your own homemade salsa in the future.

How to Spice Up Fire Roasted Salsa

If the Peppers aren’t providing enough heat and flavor for your tastes, there are a few other ingredients you can add to your Fire Roasted Salsa and I’ve included them in this recipe.  Cumin, Smoked Paprika and Mexican Oregano are definitely among my favorites.  You can even add some Cayenne if you’re feeling froggy.  Just be sure that you stay true to your tastes and be considerate of the pallets and less tolerant individuals, like children you may be serving, if they can’t handle spice.

Fire Roasted Salsa Ingredients:

2 Hot House Tomatoes, large
2 Onions,
1 Bell Pepper
1 Anaheim Pepper
1 Jalapeno
5 Garlic Cloves
1 lime, squeezed
1 bunch Cilantro
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbsp Chicken Bouilion, Caldo con Sabor de Pollo(Knorr)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Pico De Gallo

Simple Pico De Gallo

This Pico De Gallo recipe is not only simple, it is easily adjusted to your specific tastes and spice preference. Wiki will tell you that the Spanish translation actually means, “Beak of Rooster” but if you want a history lesson, that’s what they’re there for.  Today, I’m just going to show you how to make it.  Just know that this is also known as Salsa Fresca or Salsa Cruda and it can be applied to just about anything you want to freshen and spice up; steaks, tacos, burritos, chili rellenos, potatoes, chili, hamburgers or just plain old chips and salsa.  The truth is, I only filmed and posted this recipe because I needed it for my up and coming, “Crispy Fish Tacos” recipe.  So keep an eye out for that because it’s up next.

Pico De Gallo Seasoning

Most of the flavor, in Pico De Gallo, comes from the fresh vegetables in this recipe and everyone of them are equally important.  It’s usually only seasoned with salt and pepper.  In the video tutorial, I introduce Pico De Gallo seasoning and it really has nothing to do with this particular recipe.  The seasoning is usually applied to other fruits and vegetables to enhance their flavor.  But it has chili powder, salt and citric acid which, much like the lime, brighten the flavor and it’s a fun addition to the mix, if you want to try adding it instead of just salt and pepper.

Another recipe that you should look into is Chimichurri.  It’s very different yet very similar because it still brings the fresh spicy flavor Pico De Gallo brings.  The difference is that one recipe was developed in Mexico and the other in Argentina.  I personally like the Chimichurri better but they’re both so unique and genre specific, you really can’t compare the two.  But, I would highly recommend giving them both a try.

Pico De Gallo Ingredients:

2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1-2 Serrano Peppers, diced with or without seeds
2 Roma Tomatoes, de-seeded and diced
1 bunch Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1/2 Lemon, squeezed
Salt and Pepper to taste and/or Pico De Gallo Seasoning

Frozen Crawfish Boil – How to cook Frozen Crawfish

The Best Crawfish Boil

If you’re a fan of Crawfish, you’re going to love this recipe.  The problem is that there are a lot of places that don’t have access to live Crawfish, if they have access to them at all.  If you’re lucky, you can at least find them frozen in your seafood department at your local grocery store.  “Lucky” may be a loose term because any good cook knows that any pre-cooked anything, let alone frozen, is a recipe for disaster.  But, if you consider the fact that King and Snow Crab legs don’t get shipped, practically, any other way, then believe me when I say, you’re in good hands with this post.  The trick is to reconstitute and reheat these mud bugs without over cooking them and to be sure to add enough flavor.  When it’s done right, no Cajun will ever know the difference.

How to Season Crawfish

Just to be clear, this recipe can be used for both Live or Frozen Crawfish.  It will flavor and season them both, properly.  The only difference will be the amount of time live Crawfish need to cook before they soak and to get good flavor into either/or you definitely need to soak.  Frozen crawfish are the easiest to prepare because the cleaning and purging have already been done for you.  All you need now is the right ingredients and they’ll get the re-heat they need, along with a good soak, and all of the flavor you would expect great Crawfish to have in just a matter of minutes.

So, you need to make a broth that is out of this world and it’s generally made with a ton of spice.  The good news is that these ingredients can be purchased in an all in one product, so you don’t have to dive deep into your pockets for every individual spice.  Companies like Slap Ya Mama, Zatarain’s or Old Bay have put together excellent Crab, Shrimp and Crawfish Boil Seasoning packages that are great for this sort of thing.  And you can buy the liquid too, if you prefer.  My only complaint is that the suggested water to seasoning ratio amount is generally way to spicy for most folks.  I mean, it’s too spicy for me and I even like foods hot.  A simple solution would be to add less seasoning but then you loose to much flavor.  So I came up with the idea of adding bouillon and, let me tell you, it makes all of the difference in the world.  It’s got the right heat, with a nice medium kick and all the flavor you need from a good Crawfish Boil.

I use Knorr Tomato Bouillon, because it just makes sense.  You should know that I’m not affiliated with them in any way, I just like their product.  Why Tomato, and not Chicken, Beef or Vegetable?  Well, I have found that some of my favorite recipes that have a good spice usually have a tomato base.  Mexican and Indian food are both great examples of this so, you’re just going to have to trust me.  Besides, I add an Onion and full stick of butter as well.  Crab Boil seasoning has Onion, Garlic, Paprika, Cayenne, Pepper, Lemon and Salt so you really don’t have to add anything else, unless you want to.  Ginger is a nice addition if you want more of an Asian flavor.  But, what’s great is you can really control the flavor and the heat by seasoning your Crawfish Boil this way and preparing them the way I show you in the video.

And, what ever you do, be sure to strain and save the broth for other recipes.   It can be used in sauces, soups and many recipes that require broth.  And if you’re looking for more Cajun recipes, be sure to check out my Crawfish Etouffee, Jambalaya, Oysters Rockefeller, Bourbon Chicken or Boudin Recipes.  I have more Cajun recipes than this and, if you’re interested, you can search for them by category on this website or just watch and flip through this Cajun Playlist I have on YouTube.

Crawfish Boil Ingredients:

5 lbs Crawfish
1 Gallon Water
1 Onion
1/3 cup Tomato Bouillon or more
1/8 cup Crawfish Boil Seasoning
1 stick Butter

Be sure to watch the short video Tutorial and I’ll show you just how easy this boil is to make.