La Mañanera (The Morning Salsa)

PUBLISHED April 17, 2025

Mañanero in Mexico means “morning sex,” which was my inspiration for this salsa, and so many other things in life. Sometimes you need a little something spicy to wake you up! This is my ideal Tex-Mex breakfast taco salsa; it’s simple and fresh. The tomatillos bring acidity and brightness, so if you swap those for more tomatoes, I’d recommend a squeeze of lime to fill the missing beat. Also, there’s no cilantro here, because it can be an assertive flavor and it’s not legally required for every salsa, FYI. I’m making my own rules now, and I don’t care who knows it. – Rick Martinez

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!
Print

La Mañanera (The Morning Salsa)

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 2 cups 1x

Time 30 minutes

Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 medium Roma tomatoes (9.2 oz/ 261 g), cored and left whole
  • 3 medium tomatillos (7.4 oz/211 g), husked and rinsed
  • 1/4 medium white onion (3.1 oz/89 g)
  • 6 fresh or dried chiles de árbol (0.2 oz/6 g), stemmed and chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, peeled but whole
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (0.21 oz/6 g), plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water, the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and chiles de árbol and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have softened and are just holding their shape, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate to cool and reserve the cooking liquid.
  2. Working in batches, use a molcajete or mortar and pestle (or a medium bowl with a potato masher, large spoon, or forks) to smash and grind the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, chiles de árbol, and garlic until a chunky but pourable salsa forms; thin the salsa with cooking liquid if desired. (Alternatively, use a blender and purée on low speed until the salsa is almost smooth but some pieces remain.) Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in the salt. Taste and season with more salt if desired.

– Recipe from Salsa Daddy: Dip Your Way Into Mexican Cooking

Recipe variations

Do ahead: The salsa can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 1 month.

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.