El Fenix Salsa Recipe

Introduction

My personal thinking is that, if you are anything like me, chips and salsa are not just a snack, but end up being a love language. The bite of a hot tortilla chip, the explosion of taste when it collides with the salsa, the compulsion to have one more, one more, just one more… I understand the feeling of it too well. 

And the salsa that has ever made my heart beat a little higher will be the El Fenix Salsa Recipe. This is the salsa that has tried and tested me as a chef. I have tried hundreds of salsas: smoky salsas, hot salsas, chunky pico de gallo, but this one is in a whole different set. 

It is soft, bright, piquant, and only spicy enough not to get boring. It is the type of salsa you can have with tacos, pour over an enchilada, or, to be quite frank, you can eat it straight out of the bowl and have a bag of chips with you.

What is El Fenix Salsa?

El Fenix Salsa is the salsa of the house of El Fenix, which is among the oldest Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas. As you know, when you have visited it, the salsa takes the show even before the meal starts.

This is smooth salsa as opposed to chunky and rustic salsas. It is made with tinned tomatoes (the canned version is the consistency key), jalape peppers to achieve that Picano bite, onion, garlic, cilantro, lime, and the perfect combination of spices. 

The outcome is a salsa that is sunny and cool and yet has that hearty Tex-Mex spirit. The El Fenix salsa recipe is one of my dishes that I always associate with balance. It is not about scalding your tongue with spiciness; it is about making strata of flavor that play in harmony with each other: tang, spice, freshness, and a hint of smokiness.

The Tale of How I discovered This.

I would like to bring you back several years. I had gone to one of my chef friends in Dallas, and she insisted we have dinner at El Fenix, as you have not lived until you taste their salsa. I believed that she was over-dramatizing. Salsa is salsa, right? Oh, how wrong I was.

We sat, and chips were on the table, and I had one bite of that salsa. I swear, I froze mid-crunch. And it was not good, it was memorable. I literally shouted, as I could not imagine that something that is so basic could taste so good.

At home, I could not get it out of my head. Thus, being an obsessed food woman, I sleeved my sleeves and went to the kitchen. I sampled and refined until I came to something that immediately sent me to that initial taste. 

Today, it is not merely a recipe anymore, but it is a bit of Tex-Mex magic I can replicate any time I desire.

Equipment List

• Blender or food processor
• Sharp knife
• Cutting board
• Medium saucepan
• Mixing bowl
• Storage jars or containers

Ingredients

The following is the ingredients list of the El Fenix Salsa Recipe (makes approximately 4 cups):

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes (fire-roasted preferably)
• 2 fresh jalapes (removal of seeds makes it mild, retention of seeds makes it hot)
• 1/2 large white onion, chopped coarsely.
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (add more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)

Instructions For El Fenix Salsa Recipe

Step 1

Peel the onion and garlic, and cut the jalapeño. Choose to make it spicy or not, leaving the seeds or removing them.

Step 2

In your blender, combine tomatoes (with juice), jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, paprika, lime juice, salt, pepper, and sugar.

Step 3

Give it a few good pulses till smooth and yet lively. You do not want it to be thin and watery.

Step 4

Dip in a chip (this is the perk of the chef). Add salt, lime, or spice when necessary.

Step 5

To add more heat and a little cooked flavor, simmer the salsa in a saucepan for 10 minutes and cool.

Step 6

Allow it to rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The tastes mix and blend beautifully.

Step 7

Accompanied with tortilla chips, tacos, enchilada–or to tell the truth, just leave it in the fridge as your week-long flavor enhancer.

Why This Salsa Works

As a cook, I can say it is all about balancing. The El Fenix Salsa Recipe gets it right. The tomatoes are juicy with tang, the jalapeños do not overpower but add zestiness, lime and cilantro provide that fresh zing, and cumin and paprika creep in with earthiness. Each bite is perfect–not too large or too small.

Fun Variations

I just can not help playing salsa, and I am persuading you to do the same:

Fire-roasted taste- Roast them first, with the jalapeño, onion, and garlic, to give it a smoky taste.

Extra spicy: add 1 jalapeño pepper–use serrano pepper instead.

Fatter variation –Less blend and add in some hand-cut tomatoes.

Milder take – Pick out all the jalape seeds and put in a pinch of sugar.

Tips from My Kitchen

Invariably, add the lime juice- It binds it all together.

Canned tomatoes are your friend- They can last best canned, unless you are in full-season tomatoes.

Allow it to rest – One hour in the fridge is a world of difference.

Eat along the way – There is no mass production in cooking or salsa.

Beyond Chips: Anaesthetic Serving Ideas.

This salsa is too good to be confined to chips. Some of my favorite uses of it include:

• Pour on breakfast tacos or scrambled eggs.
• As a marinade for chicken or shrimp.
• Add to cooked rice, and it has instant flavor.
• Add sour cream to make a creamy salsa dip.
• Top grilled fish with a spoonful of Tex-Mex.

Why I Keep Coming Back

When I prepare this salsa, I am reminded of why I fell in love with it in the first place. It is not only about the taste (although, to be honest, it is amazing). It is about the memories to which it is attached: the first bite in Dallas, the kitchen experiments at night, the pleasure of giving it to your friends, and seeing their eyes open.

In my case, the El Fenix Salsa Recipe is not only salsa. It is a small party of taste, family, and how food possesses this magical ability to unite people.

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