Ingredients:

  • 6 medium Roma tomatoes (approx. 700g)
  • 1 large white onion, quartered (approx. 250g)
  • 3 fresh jalapeños, stemmed (approx. 60g)
  • 4 cloves fresh garlic, unpeeled (approx. 20g)
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, stems included (approx. 30g)
  • 2 tbsp fresh lime juice (30ml)
  • 1 tsp white vinegar (5ml)
  • 1.5 tsp fine sea salt (9g)
  • 0.5 tsp ground cumin (2g)
  • 0.25 tsp granulated sugar (1g)

Instructions:

  1. Set your oven broiler to high and move the rack to the top position.
  2. Arrange the 6 Roma tomatoes, 1 quartered white onion, 3 jalapeños, and 4 unpeeled garlic cloves on a large baking sheet. Note: Spacing them out ensures they roast rather than steam.
  3. Place the tray under the broiler and roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Wait until the skins are blackened and blistered before flipping them halfway through with tongs.
  4. Remove the tray from the oven and let the vegetables sit for 5 minutes.
  5. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins and drop the softened cloves into your blender or food processor. Note: Discard the papery garlic skins now.
  6. Transfer the tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and all those pan juices into the blender.
  7. Add 1 cup cilantro, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tsp vinegar, 1.5 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp cumin, and 0.25 tsp sugar.
  8. Pulse in short, rhythmic bursts until the salsa is chunky but pourable. Avoid running the blender continuously.
  9. Taste the mixture. You might need an extra pinch of salt depending on how juicy the tomatoes were.
  10. Transfer to a bowl and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. The flavors need time to marry before you serve it.