TacoProject

taco documentation

Salsa Verde Cruda

Raw tomatillos, serrano, onion, cilantro and salt, blitzed until bright and sharp. The taquería workhorse: tart enough to cut through pork fat, hot enough to notice.

A bowl of salsa verde
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. JED / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.5)

Base

Tomatillo

Chiles

Serrano

Heat (1–5 🌶)

2

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

10000

Scoville high (SHU)

23000

Keeps (days, fridge)

5

Best with

Carnitas, suadero, anything fried

Ingredients

  • 6 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
  • 1–2 serrano chiles
  • ¼ white onion
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Salt and a splash of water

Where to find it

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Salsa de Cacahuate

Toasted peanuts and dried chiles blended into a creamy, rust-colored salsa. Rich and warming, with a heat that sneaks up on you after the third taco.

Base

Seed / nut

Chiles

Chile de árbol, guajillo

Heat (1–5 🌶)

3

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

2500

Scoville high (SHU)

30000

Keeps (days, fridge)

7

Best with

Carnitas, tacos dorados, grilled chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 cup roasted peanuts
  • 8 chiles de árbol
  • 2 guajillo chiles
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup water
  • Salt, a squeeze of lime

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Salsa Roja de Chile de Árbol

Toasted árbol and guajillo chiles blended with roasted tomato and garlic. Brick red, smoky, and the reason taqueros hand you the squeeze bottle with a warning look.

Base

Dried chile

Chiles

Chile de árbol, guajillo

Heat (1–5 🌶)

4

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

15000

Scoville high (SHU)

30000

Keeps (days, fridge)

10

Best with

Al pastor, carne asada, birria

Ingredients

  • 15 chiles de árbol, stemmed
  • 2 guajillo chiles, seeded
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, charred
  • 2 garlic cloves, charred
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • Salt, vinegar to taste

Where to find it

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Salsa Macha

Dried chiles, garlic, peanuts and sesame fried slowly in oil. From Veracruz originally, now a cult condiment: crunchy, nutty, smoky and shelf-stable.

Base

Seed / nut

Chiles

Chile morita, árbol

Heat (1–5 🌶)

3

Texture

Oily / crunchy

Scoville low (SHU)

5000

Scoville high (SHU)

30000

Keeps (days, fridge)

30

Best with

Eggs, barbacoa, literally a spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 cup neutral oil
  • 6 chiles morita
  • 10 chiles de árbol
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • Salt, a splash of vinegar

Where to find it

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Guacamole Taquero

The thin, pourable avocado-tomatillo salsa you find at street stands, not the chunky dip. Stretches one avocado across a hundred tacos and stays green longer.

A bowl of fresh guacamole
Photo: Nikodem Nijaki / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Base

Avocado

Chiles

Serrano

Heat (1–5 🌶)

2

Texture

Smooth

Scoville low (SHU)

10000

Scoville high (SHU)

23000

Keeps (days, fridge)

2

Best with

Tacos de canasta, carne asada, suadero

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 3 tomatillos
  • 1 serrano
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 1 garlic clove
  • Water to thin, salt, lime

Where to find it

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