Salsa de Zarzamora con Chile Manzano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Volcanic stone molcajete and tejolote
• •Dry comal for roasting chiles
• •Small Michoacán clay cazuelita or Capula black burnished bowl for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose the fruit

   Pick over the zarzamoras and remove any soft or leaking berries. You want berries that stain your fingers but still hold their shape. If they taste flat, do not make this salsa today. Cook what the market is selling with pride, not what a recipe is demanding from bad fruit.

2. 2

   Roast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Roast the chile manzano or chile perón, turning often, until the skin blisters in dark patches and the flesh softens, 6 to 8 minutes. Roast the garlic clove beside it until spotted and tender. The chile should smell floral and sharp, not burned.

   Chile manzano has black seeds and a perfumed bite. In Michoacán, chile perón carries that same Capsicum pubescens character, citrusy and floral. Jalapeño and serrano do not replace it. They bring heat, yes, but not the perfume.
3. 3

   Peel and chop

   Let the chiles sit for 3 minutes, then rub off only the loose burned skin. Do not wash them. Water steals flavor. Stem the chiles and chop them roughly. Keep the seeds if you want the salsa fierce. Remove some if your table needs mercy.

4. 4

   Martajar in molcajete

   Put the roasted garlic and salt in a volcanic stone molcajete and grind to a paste. Add the roasted chile and crush it until the flesh breaks into small uneven pieces. Add the zarzamoras a handful at a time and martajar, crush without making a puree. You want skins, seeds, and chile pieces visible. A smooth purple sauce is not the point.

5. 5

   Season and rest

   Fold in the white onion and lime juice with a spoon. Taste. If the berries are too sharp, add the grated piloncillo and stir until it disappears. Let the salsa rest 10 minutes so the berry juice, chile, salt, and lime settle into each other. Recetas probadas y garantizadas, but your tongue still has to finish the seasoning.

6. 6

   Serve from clay

   Serve the salsa in the molcajete or a small cazuelita de barro from Michoacán. Spoon it with carnitas, grilled duck, trout from the lake, requesón, or warm corn tortillas. This salsa is sweet, floral, and fierce. It is not dessert with chile sprinkled on top. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Buy zarzamoras from a market vendor who lets you taste one. The berry should be sweet-tart and fragrant. If it tastes like water, walk away. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •A blender works only if you pulse twice and stop. Even then, the texture changes. The molcajete bruises the fruit and chile together. A blender chops. Those are not the same action.
• •Chile manzano and chile perón are hot, but the point is not only heat. The point is perfume. Jalapeño gives a greener flavor and serrano gives a sharper one. Use them only when you accept what is missing.
• •Serve this with rich food: carnitas, duck, pork ribs, grilled trout, or requesón. The acidity of the zarzamora and lime cuts fat cleanly. That is why the salsa works at a celebration table.

Advance Preparation

• •Roast the chiles and garlic up to 4 hours ahead and keep them covered at room temperature.
• •The salsa is best within 2 hours of being made. After that, the berries release too much juice and the texture softens.
• •Leftovers keep refrigerated for 1 day. Stir before serving and correct with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lime.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 50g)