Morita chiles are smoked red jalapeños—smaller and darker than chipotles, with a deep, earthy smoke that tastes like a campfire you actually want to eat. This salsa is what happens when jalapeños grow up and get mysterious.←Back to Taco Topping Recipes
12 whole dried morita chiles, stems removed
4 whole Roma tomatoes
0.5 whole white onion, quartered
3 clove garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp kosher salt
0.5 cup water or chile soaking liquid
Toast moritas in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side until puffed and aromatic.
Transfer to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 15 minutes until softened.
Meanwhile, roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic under a broiler or in a hot skillet until charred and softened (8–10 minutes).
Drain moritas (reserve soaking liquid if you want to use it for blending). Add moritas, roasted vegetables, salt, and water to a blender. Blend until smooth.
Taste and adjust salt. Thin with more water if needed.
Chef's Notes
Chile morita is the chipotle's smaller, darker, more intensely smoked sibling. Both are smoke-dried jalapeños, but moritas are smoked longer until they're nearly black, which gives them a deeper, earthier smokiness with fruity undertones that regular chipotles don't have. They clock in around 5,000-10,000 Scoville, so medium heat, but the smoke is the real star. Find them at Mexican markets (look for "chile morita" or "morita seca") or order online from specialty spice vendors. They should smell intensely smoky and slightly fruity, like a campfire near an orchard. If they smell musty or like nothing at all, they're too old and have lost the essential oils that make them worth using. Rehydrating is essential: toast them briefly in a dry pan (30 seconds per side until fragrant), then soak in very hot water for 15-20 minutes until they're soft enough to blend. The soaking liquid is liquid gold, concentrated smoky essence that you can add to the salsa for extra depth or use in marinades, stews, and beans. Don't throw it away. This salsa is particularly excellent with grilled meats, where the smokiness plays counterpoint to char, or stirred into pozole or black beans for instant complexity. There's a saying among the salsa elders that the morita holds the memory of the fire that transformed it. This is either poetic wisdom or a really good marketing line. Possibly both.
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