Adventures in Food
Easy tomato salsa using a molcajete
My formula for stress relief at the end of a long day: break out the molcajete and make some salsa. That’s what I did last night.
A molcajete is pretty much a the Mexican version of a mortar and pestle with Aztec origins. Mine came from a side street market in Mexico City and weighs 10 pounds (thank goodness my husband got it before the airlines started charging you to check your bags).
Made of volcanic rock, the molcajete’s porous surface absorbs the flavors of what has been ground in it before. So the garlic rub you might have used to start off a salsa a month ago will leave hints of flavor in the guacamole you make today; every batch is entirely unique.
For instructions on how to season your molcajete you can check out my post on Wandering Educators.
To create a basic tomato salsa at home using a molcajete here’s what you need:
Recipe
Time to mash the garlic
Prep time: 15 minutes (depending on how hard you grind)
Servings: 4
Ingredients
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped into slices* (See note)
2 slices onion
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds)
Then the onions...
1 lime
Peppers (you can use whatever kind of heat your family prefers–cayenne powder, fresh serrano peppers, jalapenos)
Directions
- Place the cumin and garlic in the molcajete bowl. Grind into a paste using the hand tool.
- Next, grind the pepper of your choice in the molcajete bowl. I often use dried chiles, but fresh is great too.
- Add the tomatoes, onion, and cilantro to the molcajete and start grinding. (My kids have fun doing this).
- Mix in salt to taste and serve at your table in the molcajete.
salsa ready to serve
*Note: Many salsa recipes call for you to remove the tomato skins before grinding. I’ve found that the skin comes off during the process and you can take it out easily. Another option is to use drained, canned tomatoes. These work well, especially the roasted variety.
Your turn: Have you ever used a molcajete? What about a mortar and pestle?
on 
on 
on
about 11 months ago
oh.my.gods. i so want to eat at your house. i love that you can use it as a bowl, too. yum!!
about 11 months ago
This looks like such a cool kitchen tool. We make Mexican food so often, I should get one of these!
about 11 months ago
I bookmarked your recipe. I have a traditional mortar and pestle, and imagine it could work, though it is smooth not rough, so the prep could be interesting!
about 11 months ago
Love the look of this tool. A great way to create and de-stress at the same time.
about 11 months ago
I, too, am grateful that your wonderful husband carted not one, but two, molcajetes around in his suitcase. Which reminds me…I need to pull mine out again for the summer.
I make guac in it. SO GOOD.
about 11 months ago
I have used a molcajete, and a mortar and pestle too. sort of tools that go back a ways, indeed — I was at the museum in Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland not long ago and saw a bowl shaped rock and a grinding stone used in that area in very ancient times.
about 11 months ago
Love it. Sounds very Olde World-ish.
about 11 months ago
What a cool molcajete! We only have a regular mortar and pestle but have never used it to make salsa.
about 11 months ago
Would never have thought to use a molcajete to make salsa. But whatever tool does the trick.
about 11 months ago
It’s amazing the difference in the texture of the salsa when you use a molcajete.
about 11 months ago
I don’t think a regular mortar and pestle would work for salsa. But, you could use it to crush the cumin seeds to add to fresh salsa.