The Sweet Salsa Twist You Didn't Know Your Tacos Needed

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Taco recipes always come with garnishes; cilantro and diced onions and a squeeze of lime juice are par for the course, but no taco experience is complete without a flight of salsas. For those of you who think salsas fall into a simple designation of red or green, there's a sweet salsa to throw you for a loop and upgrade your tacos. Chili pepper jam is the sweet salsa twist that James Beard Award-winning chef Rick Martinez brought to our attention during a recent interview on all things taco-related.

Chef Martinez switches things up by swapping a fresh salsa for what he calls "habañero jam ... that actually [has] piloncillo or Mexican brown sugar, onions, garlic, and apple cider vinegar." Habaneros are some of the hottest chilies, but you can use milder chilies like jalapeños, poblanos, or even bell peppers. While a chili jam might sound like some form of fusion cuisine, chef Martinez told us, "In the central part of [Mexico], there are a lot of people who make pepper jams, primarily with dried chiles."

Layering a sweet element like brown sugar, honey, or even regular sugar over the aromatic savoriness of garlic and onions and the fiery spice of a chili pepper brings so much more depth to the palate and your tacos. Plus, the gelatinous consistency of a pepper jam will be easier to contain inside the taco instead of squirting out with each bite like salsa.

Making a pepper jam is similar to making a fruit jam; you're essentially reducing the ingredients over medium heat till they become thick and jelly-like. However, unlike a fruit jam, a pepper jam tends to have more ingredients. So the first step to making a pepper jam is to actually make a salsa or chili paste in a blender with chilies, garlic, onions, and perhaps tomatoes. An acidic component like vinegar or lime juice is a crucial part of salsa and chili jam as it balances both spice and sugar. Add a cup of sugar to the salsa as you liquify it, then you can pour it into a saucepan to reduce, stirring constantly until the jam reaches its thick, sticky consistency.

Whether you use fresh or dried chilies, you should remove the stems and seeds before adding them to the blender. If you're using dried chilies, you'll want to rehydrate them in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes; you can use the soaking liquid in your salsa to thin it out and add extra flavor. Instead of making salsa from scratch, you could use a can of chipotles in adobo like these from La Costena, a bit of water, and a cup of sugar. 

A chipotle pepper jam is a great sweet, spicy, and smoky element for arrachera steak tacos. Or, you could make a sweet and vegetal pineapple jalapeño jam with bell peppers and jalapeños to serve with tacos al pastor.