Hatch Chile Salsa features hatch chiles, heirloom tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice and cilantro. It's a vibrant and fresh salsa that's SO quick and easy to make!
Hatch Chile Salsa Recipe
I know what you may be thinking. What exactly is a hatch chile? Hatch chiles are grown in New Mexico's Hatch Valley. It's an earthy pepper with a mild heat depending on the variety you're working with. However, after I roasted them and cooked them into this gorgeous salsa, the back heat really developed.
Because of the soil conditions in the Hatch Valley, hatch chile peppers have a unique flavor of their own, so you'll want to get your hands on some. I recently served this vibrant salsa at a party and it was a HUGE hit! It completely disappeared when I got the pulled pork ready for tacos. Seriously, a bit of this hatch chile salsa spooned over pulled pork? What else do you need?
Ingredients in Green Chile Salsa
- Hatch chile peppers
- Heirloom tomatoes
- White onion
- Garlic
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Salt to taste
How to Make Hatch Chile Salsa - the Recipe Method
First, roast the peppers. Heat oven to 350°F. Slice the hatch chile peppers and tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the peppers.
Set them all onto baking sheets. Slice the onion into chunks and place them onto the baking sheets along with the garlic.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nicely charred.
Blend it all together. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Peel the skins from the peppers and tomatoes and discard.
Drop the peppers and tomatoes into a food processor.
Squeeze garlic from their skins and place them into the food processor along with the onion. Add lime juice, cilantro and salt. Process until smooth.
Chill, serve, and enjoy! Adjust for salt and transfer the salsa into a covered bowl. Refrigerate a few hours to allow flavors to mingle before serving.
A Bit About Hatch Peppers
Hatch peppers are unique in that they are grown in the Hatch region of New Mexico, where the locals claim the soil is rich and unlike anywhere else.
Hatch peppers aren't actually a single type of pepper, but a variety, so named because of the region where they are grown.
The reality is that "Hatch Peppers" actually belong to the broader category of New Mexican peppers, and there are many types. You can learn more about Hatch Chili Peppers here, including types and history. Hatch peppers typically range in heat levels from 1,000 - 8,000 Scoville Heat Units, which is quite mild to about jalapeno pepper level heat.
I ordered mine online because I do not live near New Mexico, and the harvesting season runs from August through September.
You can grow New Mexican types in your own garden, but my peppers are just now harvesting and I didn't grow any this year. Luckily you can order anything online!
Recipe Tips & Notes
- You can use already roasted peppers. For this recipe, I've started with fresh hatch chiles and roasted them myself. However, you can start with hatch peppers that are already roasted. Just skip the roasting step. Enjoy!
- Use fresh ingredients. When it comes to the tomatoes, lime juice, and cilantro, it's pretty important to only use fresh ingredients! Look at everything at the grocery store and only grab the produce that looks the best.
What Do Hatch Chile Peppers Taste Like?
Hatch peppers offer an earthy flavor, similar to the Anaheim chili pepper. They can be eaten raw, offering a crisp, spicy flavor and a mild pungency similar to an onion, though they are typically roasted which gives them a smoky, rich, earthier, sometimes buttery flavor.
Hatch green chiles offer a bit more bite, while aging them to ripened red hatch chiles mellows them and the heat they deliver from an initial bite to more of a blooming back heat.
How to Store Hatch Chile Salsa
In an airtight container in the fridge, this salsa will stay fresh for about 2-3 days.
Try Some of My Popular Hatch Pepper Recipes
- Pork Chili with Roasted Red Hatch Peppers
- One Pan Hatch Chile Cheese Dip
- Roasted Hatch Chile-Beer Mustard
- Spicy Pork-Hatch Chile Casserole
- Roasted Red Hatch Chile Sauce
Try Some of My Other Popular Salsa Recipes
- Try this authentic Salsa Verde Recipe that goes with all of your Mexican dishes, or my Restaurant Style Salsa that everyone loves.
- Fresh Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Habanero Salsa
- Fresh Mango Salsa
- Ghost Pepper Salsa
- Authentic Pico de Gallo
- Roasted Mango-Habanero Salsa
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Hatch Chile Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Hatch chile peppers
- 2.5 pounds heirloom tomatoes
- 1 medium white onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- Juice from 1 lime
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice the Hatch chile peppers and tomatoes in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds from the peppers. Set them all onto baking sheets.
- Slice the onion into chunks and place them onto the baking sheets.
- Place the garlic on the baking sheets as well.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nicely charred.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Peel the skins from the peppers and tomatoes and discard. Drop the peppers and tomatoes into a food processor.
- Squeeze garlic from their skins and place them into the food processor along with the onion.
- Add lime juice, cilantro and salt. Process until smooth.
- Adjust for salt and set into a covered bowl.
- Refrigerate a few hours to allow flavors to mingle.
Nutrition Information
Andy Cline says
Patty is right. This Salsa really is addictive! I always wondered what all the hype was about Hatch Chilis. Now I get it. The heirlooms really made it great. I always go heavy on the cilantro. So many great flavors!
Thanks!
Andy
Mike Hultquist says
Nice! Glad you enjoyed it, Andy! Yes, SO GOOD!
Larry Thomas says
Oh my, read your Hatch Salsa recipe this morning, found hatch chili peppers this afternoon in NW Washington! Being from Florida w neveer get Anaheim or Hatch peppers, I was so excited to find them that I bought all the ingredients (romas instead of heirloom tomatoes). The salsa is wonderful! Thank you Mike!
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Larry! Glad you found them!
Rebel says
This tastes great for a straight green chili salsa except I use x hot green chilis.I have also been making a habanero green chili salsa lately,using 3-5 habaneros and habanero chili oil with aprox 2 cups of roasted diced green chilis and a splash of ACV with habaneros. I like it HOT.
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds like perfection to me, Rebel.
Lori L. says
Absolutely yummy! Because, well, Hatch chiles! This is an ideal recipe for everyone; Yankees like us don’t burn our mouths off, and those who like their salsa hot, hot, hot, can easily spice this little gem up. Thanks for posting this, Mike!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lori! Agreed, super yummy!
Natasha says
This is officially my go-to salsa recipe! We picked up some mild hatch chili’s to make a mild salsa for my teen son who isn’t a fan of spicy foods. Unfortunately, the peppers were quite hot even without seeds. We replaced the Hatch Chili’s with 2 purchased Anaheim’s plus a poblano, 3 green 'PETIT MARSEILLAIS' and a jalapeño (seeded) from our garden. We just harvested loads of meaty Principe Borghese tomatoes so we ended up using a pound of store bought Roma’s (roasted/seeded) and the rest in fresh Principe’s. Added in some of our ‘Music’ garlic harvest and followed the rest of recipe! Wow!! What a gorgeous and flavorful salsa! My son has been eating this salsa non-stop and my husband who’s mantra is the hotter the better when it comes to salsa said this is one of the best salsas he’s had! If you are looking for a flavorful way to use your harvest, this salsa is a winner!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks, Natasha.
stacey says
Hi- my chili peppers are already roasted but would you go ahead and roast the tomatoes, onions and garlic? Does it make that much of a difference in the overall flavor?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Stacey, it does make a difference, though you could also process them all up first then simmer then together. Different method, great flavor. I love roasted, too. Yum!
Stacey says
Thank you!! Going to make this for an upcoming trip to the mountains....will be so good after a day of hiking !
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Have fun!
Judy says
Just made this for the 3 rd time in 4 wks. Love the flavor and texture. ❤️
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Great, Judy! Thanks!
Bill says
Used mild Hatch chili’s last week. Flavorful, but not enough heat for me. Today, I used extra hot Hatch chili’s and this salsa rocked! I can’t wait to let my Hispanic neighbors taste it tomorrow.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Excellent, Bill!!
Bruce Bocian says
How would I go about canning the salsa?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bruce, check the acidity of this to make sure it is 3.5 pH or lower for home canning/jarring with a water bath. Or you can use a pressure canner. Here is a great link for using the water bath method: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_salsa/chile_salsa.html
KP says
THE BEST SALSA RECIPE EVER!!!
The less ingredients the better. The full flavor of the HATCH Chili Peppers aren’t covered up by too many spices. I love roasting not only the peppers, but also the tomatoes, onion & garlic. This receipt in a WINNER in my book.
Thank you for sharing.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome, KP! Super happy you enjoyed it! I LOVE this one for sure.
el chipo guaco says
added a half of serrano and BAM! very good and plenty of heat
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
There you go! BOOM! Love it.
Doug Groves says
How much vinegar would you need to water bath your salsa recipe?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Doug, I would start with a few tablespoons and measure the pH. Shoot for 3.5 or lower.
Green chili lover says
This salsa is delicious.
As an FYI, seeds are not the source of the capsaicin. The capsaicin is in the placenta of jalapeños and the flesh of chilis. The seeds have capsaicin on them but not in them.
Here is an article about where the capsaicin is in different peppers and chilis.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/03/ghost-pepper-heat-research/473361/
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks! And yes, the majority of the heat in most peppers is in the placenta, or the whitish pithy innards, not the seeds at all. It's also true that the capsaicin extends into the pepper flesh with superhot peppers. This is discussed all over this site, especially on this page about capsaicin: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-capsaicin/. See also Cooking with Superhot Chili Peppers (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/10-tips-for-cooking-with-super-hot-chili-peppers/) and also information about The Scoville Scale (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/the-scoville-scale/). This is also a good resource answering the question: "Should I remove the seeds from chili peppers before eating them?" (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/cooking-with-chili-peppers/should-i-remove-the-seeds-before-eating-or-cooking-with-chili-peppers/). Thanks again!