Lupin Free Smoky BBQ Salsa
Charred vegetables and bold spices come together in a salsa that tastes like it spent all afternoon at a backyard cookout. Roma tomatoes, red bell peppers, and jalapeño go straight onto a screaming-hot cast iron pan until their cut sides are deeply blackened and their skins blister loose — that char is where all the magic lives. Smoked paprika, cumin, and chipotle powder bloom in garlic-infused oil with scallion greens before the chopped vegetables join the party, along with a hit of maple syrup and apple cider vinegar to balance the heat and smoke. The result is rich, a little sweet, a little fiery, and deeply savory in a way that store-bought salsa simply cannot touch. Many condiments and spice blends carry hidden legume-based fillers or additives, but every ingredient here is straightforward and easy to verify — whole vegetables, pure spices, and pantry staples you already know. Serve it warm straight from the skillet, let it cool to room temperature for a classic chip dip, or refrigerate it and spoon it cold over eggs the next morning. However you use it, this salsa is the kind of thing people ask you to bring to every gathering from here on out.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 4 medium roma tomatoes, halved
- 2 medium red bell peppers, halved and seeded
- 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil, divided
- 4 scallions, green tops only, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp chipotle powder
- ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan over high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Brush the cut sides of the tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño with 1 tablespoon of the garlic-infused oil.
- 2
Place the tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño cut-side down in the dry hot pan. Cook undisturbed for 4–5 minutes, until the cut surfaces are deeply charred and the skins begin to blister and loosen. Flip and cook for 2 minutes more, until the skins are softened and the vegetables are tender throughout.
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