Herbie Creative Recipes

Antique Taco House Salsa Dupe

Name: Antique Taco House Salsa Dupe: Half-Raw Half-Roasted Tomato Salsa with Serrano and Jalapeño
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: About 2 cups
Ingredients: 1 lb (454 g) ripe tomatoes total, about 12 oz (340 g) Roma tomatoes plus 4 oz (115 g) ripe heirloom or good slicing tomato; About 6 oz (170 g) of the Roma tomatoes reserved raw; roast the remaining tomatoes, about 10 oz (285 g); 1 medium serrano chile (about 12 g); 1 medium jalapeño (about 25 g); 2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled (8 to 10 g peeled); 1/4 medium white onion (about 45 g); 1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems (12 to 15 g); 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (about 3 g); if using Morton, start closer to 1/2 teaspoon; 1 to 2 tablespoons water (15 to 30 g), only if necessary

Half-Raw Half-Roasted Tomato Salsa with Serrano and Jalapeño

A kitchen-lab dupe built from half-raw, half-roasted ripe tomatoes, serrano, jalapeño, garlic, onion, and cilantro, pulsed to a pourable salsa with tiny green flecks.

Sauces Condiments Mexican Latin From Herbie From Antique Taco Clara's favorite About 2 cups Prep 15 min Cook 10 min Total 1 hr 25 min

Created November 23, 2024 Last cooked August 13, 2026

5.0 (1 review)

All recipes

Finished

Ingredients

House salsa

1 lb (454 g) ripe tomatoes total, about 12 oz (340 g) Roma tomatoes plus 4 oz (115 g) ripe heirloom or good slicing tomato
About 6 oz (170 g) of the Roma tomatoes reserved raw; roast the remaining tomatoes, about 10 oz (285 g)
1 medium serrano chile (about 12 g)
1 medium jalapeño (about 25 g)
2 large garlic cloves, unpeeled (8 to 10 g peeled)
1/4 medium white onion (about 45 g)
1/3 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves and tender stems (12 to 15 g)
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (about 3 g); if using Morton, start closer to 1/2 teaspoon
1 to 2 tablespoons water (15 to 30 g), only if necessary

Instructions

Measure about 6 oz (170 g) of the Roma tomatoes and set them aside raw. The remaining tomatoes will be cooked.
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat. Add the remaining tomatoes, serrano, jalapeño, unpeeled garlic, and onion. Turn everything periodically until it has scattered dark blisters without being incinerated. Allow about 4 to 6 minutes for the garlic, 5 to 7 minutes for the chiles and onion, and 8 to 10 minutes for the tomatoes. The tomatoes should soften and pick up several black spots while plenty of red skin remains.

Prep
Let the roasted vegetables cool for 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and stem both peppers. Keep the pepper seeds, and leave the tomato skins on.
Put the raw tomatoes, roasted tomatoes, peppers, garlic, onion, cilantro, and salt in a blender. Pulse 8 to 12 times, then blend continuously for only 2 to 4 seconds. Stop when the salsa pours from a spoon and shows tiny flecks of chile and cilantro. It should be finer than pico but not hot-sauce smooth.

Cooking
If the salsa is unusually thick, add 1 tablespoon (15 g) water and pulse again. Add the second tablespoon only if it still needs loosening. Do not add water automatically.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 3 to 4 hours. Taste it cold or slightly below room temperature with a salted tortilla chip. Adjust the salt only after that tasting.

Finished Antique Taco House Salsa Dupe: Half-Raw Half-Roasted Tomato Salsa with Serrano and Jalapeño — Finished dish

Notes

This is a Herbie Creative kitchen-lab dupe. Antique Taco does not publish the House Salsa recipe. Its listed ingredients are tomato, chiles, garlic, onion, and cilantro.
Chef credit: Rick Ortiz / Antique Taco, Chicago, for the restaurant salsa being matched. The method is Herbie's.
Why half-raw: Antique Taco also has a separate Roasted Tomato Salsa on the menu, so the House Salsa should not be assumed to be fully roasted.
This batch is clean, with no lime or extras.
Diamond Crystal kosher salt is less dense than Morton. Use 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal, about 3 g. If using Morton kosher salt, start closer to 1/2 teaspoon and adjust only after the salsa has chilled.
This fresh tomato salsa is different from Salsa Roja Antigua de Chipotle.

Reviews

5.0

1 review

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Anonymous 2026-08-13

Fresh tomato lift, scattered roasted char, and just the right pourable texture for a salted chip.