Authentic Mexican Habanero Salsa Recipe

I am in love with food and find it exhilarating to be able to learn ever more dishes from around the world. I wouldn’t be able to tell you what my favorite dish is or which cuisine of the world would be my first choice. I just enjoy the variety. I can see the beauty in each one of them and delight in the pleasure of savoring them all. I just happen to have the circumstantial blessing of being in contact with real traditional Mexican food, simply because I grew up in Mexico.

Whenever I go outside this country I realize that Mexican food is not known throughout the world. Mexican restaurants are scarce, and the ones that do exist are not the authentic thing. This is the idea that inspired me to write the Authentic Mexican Food series. I’d like the world to know how rich, interesting, multilayered, artistic and delicious Mexican food is by putting my two cents.

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The Mexican Habanero Salsa uses a kind of hot chili pepper that is part of the Southeast Mexican Cuisine developed in the Peninsula of Yucatán, the Habanero chili. It is a small chili pepper that turns yellow/orange when ripe and is famous for being extremely hot. It gives a very good flavor to food when used in the right measure. One never knows how hot a particular Habanero might be, other than tasting it, there is no way to figure that out from beforehand. Only one thing is for sure, Habaneros are always hot, it is just a matter of how hot. To have some control over the hotness of the salsa, add the finely chopped chile little by little, mixing the preparation and trying it before adding the next bit. The hotness of a chilly is actually contained in its seeds and veins, so if you want the flavor but say no to the hotness, you can devein the chili (cut off the white strings in the interior of the pepper) and discard the seeds, only adding the yellow flesh of the chili pepper.

This salsa goes very well with earthy meat, poultry or fish dishes. It is also an excellent toping for tacos (soft tortilla of course) of any kind; it gives a nice freshness to the bite. Try adding a bit of avocado as well.

Ingredients

• 1 Medium Red Onion
• 1 Habanero Chili Pepper
• 2 to 3 limes (depending on how juicy they are)
• Pinch of Dried Oregano
• Salt

Procedure

Chop the red onion. Cut the Habanero in halves, devein if you want to take some of the hotness off and chop. Add the juice of 2 to 3 limes depending on how juicy they are. Season with a pinch of dried oregano and salt (about 1 teaspoon will do). Mix and you are ready to enjoy!