Few sensory pleasures are as satisfying as taking a bite out of something that has been topped with a good salsa macha.
A spicy, peanutty, sour, sometimes-sweet sauce, salsa macha enhances anything it tops with its signature crunch, its slick oil base and its notes of smoke and earth. (In 2020, The New York Times Magazine called it the year’s most valuable condiment.)
The name salsa macha can refer to the feminine form of macho, describing a sauce that demands courage of the eater, or to the Spanish word machacar, which means to pound or crush, alluding to how the ingredients are prepared. And while salsa macha’s popularity on both sides of the border is rather recent, Indigenous people throughout Mexico have ground dried chiles, pumpkin seeds and peanuts into pastes for centuries, and long before olive oil’s arrival in the country.
An essential building block, the oil in salsa macha secures its place among other oil-preserved condiments that arose across the trade routes that radiated out from Spanish-held ports. Think Catalonian romescos and picadas, and Chinese chile crisp. Their emergence seems less like a recipe and more a shared instinct, oil as a vehicle for the ferocious bite of chile and spice. As salsa macha sits, the oil carries the flavor and essence of everything in it. It’ll last as long as the oil stays fresh, evolving in flavor over time. Keep it in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature before serving and try not to eat it all in one sitting.
Rick A. Martínez’s tostadas campechanas de mariscos (seafood tostadas).Credit…Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Prop Stylist: Carla Gonzalez-Hart
More Salsa Macha Recipes: Salsa Macha Pork Noodles | Salsa Macha Roast Salmon | Salsa Macha | Salsa Macha | Sea Bass With Garlic Chips and Salsa Macha | Tostadas Campechanas de Mariscos (Seafood Tostadas) | Salsa Macha Pasta With Shrimp
There are many variations, but generally, salsa macha is made up of dry chiles, garlic and peanuts, all toasted and ground, along with a hearty amount of oil. Many recipes include seeds like pepitas or sesame, tree nuts, splashes of vinegar, and sugar or dried fruit to round out the subtle bitterness that dried chiles can acquire when over-toasted, something that takes practice to avoid. Though one would be wise to follow a recipe, salsa macha’s history is an invitation to play. Add dried cherries, cacao nibs, vanilla or fermented black soybeans to the mix as some cooks do, and make something specific to your palate.
Credit…The New York Times Cooking
Salsa macha’s expansiveness is why one jar can do so much. Yes, it works on a quesadilla. But have you ever spooned it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a few slices of ripe mango? You can toss it with hot pasta the way you would pesto and top with a dollop of ricotta, or use it to coat ramen noodles paired with ground pork. Or drizzle it over grilled meats or roasted fish. Spoon a generous amount over labneh, hummus or a simple bowl of rice, and yes, over your morning eggs and toast. There’s nothing this salsa won’t improve upon. So make a big jar this summer, and relax, the salsa is already made, and you’re more than halfway to a good meal.
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