This guajillo salsa recipe is like a fancy version of the little packets of salsa you get at that certain chain fast-food Mexican restaurant in the United States. You know, that fast-food chain that isn’t really Mexican at all and serves a ton of crunchy tacos with cheddar cheese on them?

I’ve added a few chiles de arbol to this recipe to give it a little punch of heat. You can leave them out altogether if you want a mild salsa, or pile in as many as you want to light your hair on fire. The guajillos themselves have very little heat.
This isn’t my favorite kind of salsa for a table salsa, but with its acidity, guajillo salsa pairs nicely with fatty meats like carnitas or barbacoa.

Guajillo Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. tomatillos - husks removed and cored
- 1/2 lb. ripe red tomatoes - cored
- 5 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 dried arbol chiles - (optional, remove if you want a milder salsa)
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/3 cup white onion - very finely diced
Instructions
- De-stem, de-vein, and de-seed the chiles. Don't worry if you miss a few stray seeds.
- Place the chiles in a pot of cool water, along with the garlic, and tomatillos. Bring to a low boil, then remove from heat and let soak for 20 minutes.
- While your chiles, tomatillos and garlic soaks, preheat your broiler on high. Place the red tomatoes in a broiler pan and put in the oven with the rack at its highest point. Broil until blackened on all sides.
- Strain the chiles, garlic, and tomatillos, then place the chiles, the garlic, and 1/2 the tomatillos in the blender, and puree on high until everything is completely liquified. Remove, then press back into the blender jar through a fine mesh sieve.
- Add the garlic, the remaining tomatillos, the red tomatoes, and the salt. Puree to a chuky consistency.
- Stir in the finely diced onions, then serve.
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