Hatch Chile Salsa

Deliciously addictive Hatch Chile Salsa – made with roasted Hatch Chiles with just the perfect amount of heat! Serve with chips!

Here in Arizona, it’s not to uncommon to find Hatch Chile peppers in grocery stores around the state. You’ll be hard-pressed to find them in the spring.. but late/summer (early September) and fall, you’ll find produce aisles overflowing with them.

That’s Chile pepper season, and though they are abundant, their abundance doesn’t last too long. Those beautiful green peppers are scooped up faster than you can blink.. and turned into delicious salsa, biscuits, gravy, and even green Chile sauce.

What are Hatch Chiles?

Hatch Chiles are grown in New Mexico’s Hatch Valley.  It’s a darling little town, and one that has a festival each fall just to celebrate the Hatch Chile pepper. The peppers are earthy, with a mild heat. You can buy the peppers at our local Arizona market every fall.

Hatch Chiles have a unique flavor, thanks to the rich soil conditions in Hatch Valley. They aren’t a single type of pepper, but a variety – so they are named after the region in which they are grown. Hatch Chile peppers range in heat levels from 1,000 – 8,000 Scoville Heat Units – which is comparable to that of a jalapeño pepper.

Their flavor is earthy, and when roasted, they inherit this smoky, rich flavor. Though they can be eaten raw, when they are roasted, the flavors amplify – offering more bite and spice. When eaten green, they have quite a bite. If aged longer and ripened red, they will deliver a kick of back heat that will blow you away!

Where to Find Hatch Chiles

If you ever do get a chance to go out that direction, you can buy the chiles freshly picked and ready to roast. Or, opt for a 5 pound box that is already roasted and divided into one pound  bags that are freezer ready.

These Hatch Chiles (above) came direct from the Hatch Chile store.

You can find several heat levels, from mild to hot, and everything in between. I selected medium-hot, and I could smell them through the bag. 

Shop the Hatch Chile Store to pick up your own Hatch Chiles, and receive them shipped to your door.  The chiles are carefully packed and ship on dry ice – when they arrive they’ll be fresh and ready for your next meal.

You can also find a plethora of recipes to help you put them to use.

Hatch Chile Salsa

Making this delicious salsa is a matter of roasting the ingredients on a baking sheet, then combining in the blender.

First, place your quartered tomatoes and halved onion on baking sheet and roast on “high” setting until tomatoes are blistered and onions are charred.  Remove from the heat and use tongs to place tomatoes and onion in blender.

At this time, add your Hatch chiles, cilantro, garlic and the juice from 1 lime. Process until smooth. Add salt and adjust as necessary. Pour into covered bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

This salsa is best served with chips as an appetizer. But you can also serve it in with your burritos as well – or, stirred into your favorite refried beans recipe.

Have you ever made Hatch Chile Salsa?

If not, give it a try.  Then use any remaining salsa to make any of these Hatch Chile recipes:

• Hatch Chile Country Gravy 
• Sourdough Hatch Chile Biscuits
• Hatch Chile Relish
• Sweet Potato Hatch Chile Cornbread 

If you do happen to try this salsa,  please leave a comment, and rate the recipe to let me know how they turned out for you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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