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The best Birria tastes even better with Salsa de Birria, a simple red salsa made with tomatoes, tomatillos, serranos, and chiles de arbol. It’s a gold-standard salsa recipe that you can enjoy with birria and beyond.
During my travels in Mexico, I learned how the people of Aguascalientes prepare birria for special events with lots of family and friends. There, they serve the Birria de res with stacks of warm corn tortillas, minced onion and cilantro, lime wedges, and Salsa de Birria.
I also love it with scrambled eggs, quesadillas, fajitas, Carne asada, and even grilled cheese sandwiches. Make a triple batch and freeze it future delicious moments.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Tomatillos: Tomatillos look like unripe green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk. The smaller version (shown above), tomatillo milpero, are more concentrated in flavor and are slightly less acidic than the regular size. If you can find milpero tomatillos, get those! After you remove the husk, the tomatillos might feel sticky underneath. Just rinse them off and you’re good to go.
- Serrano chilies: Or substitute jalapeños for less heat.
- Chiles de arbol: Also known as “bird’s beak” or “rat’s tail,” these dried chiles add a lot of heat, so remove the seeds if you’re not accustomed to the fire. Store in the pantry in a dark, dry place.
- Mexican oregano vs Mediterranean oregano: Mexican oregano has a lemony-citrus flavor, while Mediterranean oregano (Italian, Greek, or Turkish) can be sweet, bitter, or peppery depending on the variety. They cannot be used interchangeably here, so if you can’t find Mexican oregano, just omit it.
Step-by-step instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add tomatoes, tomatillos, serrano and arbol chiles, and garlic. Boil until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
- To a blender, add tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, and oregano. Depending on your tolerance for spiciness, add one or more serrano chiles and one or more arbol chiles, with or without seeds. Blend until smooth.
- Taste and add more chiles and/or seeds depending on your preference for spiciness. Remember, the salsa tastes spicier when warm and when tasted without food. It will be milder after chilling and when eaten with food. Season to taste with salt.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cups (1 quart) salsa, or about 8 servings (½ cup each).
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: This recipe is ideal for the freezer, especially if you want to make a bigger batch. Cool and portion into jars (leave 1/2-inch head space), label, date, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Customize your spiciness: The salsa tastes spicier when warm and when tasted without food. It will be milder after chilling and when eaten with other foods. I recommend boiling more chiles than you might need, and you can always blend them one at a time and taste the salsa after each addition.
Birria
In Mexico, important celebrations call for Birria, eaten as a savory stew or stuffed into tortillas for tacos. Steam the meat on the stove (as is tradition), or make it in your slow cooker or…
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Salsa de Birria
Ingredients
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil. Add tomatoes, tomatillos, serrano and arbol chiles, and garlic. Boil until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well.
- To a blender, add tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, and oregano. Depending on your tolerance for spiciness, add one or more serrano chiles and one or more arbol chiles, with or without seeds. Blend until smooth.
- Taste and add more chiles and/or seeds depending on your preference for spiciness. Remember, the salsa tastes spicier when warm and when tasted without food. It will be milder after chilling and when eaten with food. Season to taste with salt.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Tomatillos: Tomatillos look like unripe green tomatoes wrapped in a papery husk. The smaller version (shown above), tomatillo milpero, are more concentrated in flavor and are slightly less acidic than the regular size. If you can find milpero tomatillos, get those! After you remove the husk, the tomatillos might feel sticky underneath. Just rinse them off and you’re good to go.
- Serrano chilies: Or substitute jalapeños for less heat.
- Chiles de arbol: Also known as “bird’s beak” or “rat’s tail,” these dried chiles add a lot of heat, so remove the seeds if you’re not accustomed to the fire. Store in the pantry in a dark, dry place.
- Mexican oregano vs Mediterranean oregano: Mexican oregano has a lemony-citrus flavor, while Mediterranean oregano (Italian, Greek, or Turkish) can be sweet, bitter, or peppery depending on the variety. They cannot be used interchangeably here, so if you can’t find Mexican oregano, just omit it.
- Yield: This recipe makes 4 cups (1 quart) salsa, or about 8 servings (½ cup each).
- Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: This recipe is ideal for the freezer, especially if you want to make a bigger batch. Cool and portion into jars (leave 1/2-inch head space), label, date, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
- Customize your spiciness: The salsa tastes spicier when warm and when tasted without food. It will be milder after chilling and when eaten with other foods. I recommend boiling more chiles than you might need, and you can always blend them one at a time and taste the salsa after each addition.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
The flavor is fantastic. But! Be warned … I used two whole jalapeño peppers and should have taken the seeds out. It was HOT! Not all peppers are the same. The last batch of jalapeño peppers I used had very little heat. Add the peppers without seeds, then add seeds if you need them.
Oh no Don! Hopefully you still enjoy with all that heat. Thanks for the tip! – Meggan
Love this, made to go with your Birria recipe. Fantastic! Any idea how it would freeze? It’s only my husband and I and this makes a lot! Thanks in advance for a reply.
I made this salsa! today WOW! you rock! so easy to make. Thank You!!!!!
Thank you Jamie! So glad you enjoyed! -Meggan
This is great to add to my Birria and to add to my consommé.
Great addition to my Birria. yum!