The name literally means ‘hot as a dogs nose’. My Yucatecan style recipe is a ‘happy medium’ derived from others published by well known Mexican cook book authors.

  • Yields: about two cups of salsa
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Total: 2 hours
  • Active: 10 minutes

Ingredients (7)

  • 2 ea habanero chiles
  • 2 ea ripe medium tomatos
  • 1/2 c. minced red onion
  • 1/4 c. bitter (Seville) orange juice or citrus blend (see below)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1 ea. roasted orange or yellow bell pepper (optional)

Instructions

  1. Remove seeds from the habanero chiles unless you want the salsa even spicier. WARNING–these are extremely hot chiles–use gloves or wash hands twice with liquid soap afterwords. You have been warned!!
  2. If you can’t find sour oranges or their juice, mix the juice of one grapefruit, one sweet orange and one lime. Use leftover juice to make pickled red onions, another Yucatecan treat!
  3. Blend all ingredients but leave a little texture–it doesn’t need to be super smooth.
  4. The bell pepper is definitely Not traditional–it adds a striking color, smoother texture and diffuses the habanero heat a little. You might even add another habanero!
  5. Let sit for a few hours so that the flavors mingle thoroughly.
  6. Serve with the pibil of your choice.