Smoky Grilled Salsa (Chevy’s Copycat)
Salsa on the grill? Yes. You’ll want in on this.
This is, hands-down, my favorite homemade salsa. It’s smoky, spicy, and blended just enough so it’s not too chunky. It was originally a copycat recipe from Chevy’s.
Does anyone remember Chevy’s? It’s been ages since we lived close to one — I think it’s just a west coast chain, but I might be mistaken.
If I had planted tomatoes, I think they’d be busting out of the garden by now. Since I didn’t, I’m going to live vicariously through you patient gardeners.
(Or I’ll pick up some on-the-vine tomatoes at the grocery store. No shame, friends.)
The nice thing about grilling the tomatoes is that it brings out some sweetness and improves their flavor — which is nice if you’re relying on store-bought, hot house tomatoes.
All you need to do is drizzle some tomatoes and jalapenos with heat-safe oil like avocado oil.
Do you have to add jalapenos?
Well, technically no. I love their flavor, but I understand if you don’t want it to be too spicy. In this recipe I think 2 jalapenos are just right. One would make it more mild, and 3-4 would make it really spicy, if that’s your thing.
So, how do you know when the grilled tomatoes and jalapenos are done?
- They’ll have dark grill marks. Especially the jalapenos — leave those on longer so they’re mostly black.
- The tomato skins will split.
You don’t want to wait until the tomatoes get super mush and hard to remove from the grill, though.
A few more tips to make this grilled salsa:
- After the veggies come off the grill, put them in a bowl and cover them. Let them steam for a few minutes and cool off so you can handle them. The skins will come off easier that way, too.
- You can even put them in the fridge and work on it several hours or a couple days later. If you do this, you’ll notice a large amount of liquid accumulated in the bowl from the vegetables. Save this liquid and use it to thin out the salsa if you find it’s too thick for your taste. (Normally all of that liquid would be in the salsa if you grilled the veg & buzzed it up the same day.)
- Remove the jalapeno seeds. Even though I removed the seeds from both jalapenos, this salsa still had a good kick to it.
You might notice that the recipe calls for liquid smoke.
This is totally optional, but a little of this can really enhance the grilled smoky flavor. I never leave it out!
If you’re wondering what kind of liquid smoke — I like Wright’s Applewood Liquid Smoke, but the hickory flavor is good, too. You can find liquid smoke in the grocery store near the BBQ sauces. Or you can grab some on Amazon.
Smoky Grilled Salsa (Chevy's Copycat)
Throw some tomatoes and jalapenos on the grill and make some of this copycat Chevy's Fresh Salsa! It has such a delightful smoky flavor and it's our family's FAVORITE salsa!
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds tomatoes
- 1-2 jalapenos
- 1/4 medium Spanish onion (or yellow sweet onion)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teasopon liquid mesquite smoke
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ (or stovetop grill pan like I used) on high.
- Remove stems from tomatoes, then rub some oil over each. Leave stems on jalapenos and rub oil on them, too. Place tomatoes on grill when it's hot.
- After about 10 minutes, add all jalapenos. In about 10 minutes, turn the tomatoes and peppers.
- When almost all of the surface of the peppers are black, remove them from the grill. The tomatoes will turn partially black, but when the skin begins to come off they are done. Remove from grill, cover to steam them for a few minutes and allow veggies to cool.
- Remove skin from tomatoes as well as the seeds (if you want) and place in a food processor. Pinch the stem end from each pepper, remove any skin that has burned. Cut them in half and remove as many seeds as you can (unless you want the salsa extra spicy). Place the jalapenos into food processor with the tomatoes.
- Add remaining ingredients and pulse for about a minute. For best flavor, chill for at least an hour or overnight before serving.
- Makes about 2 cups.
Notes
Nat's Notes:
1. After scraping all of the seeds and some of the whitish veins from the peppers, it was still quite spicy -- about like "medium" salsa you'd buy at the store.
2. After the tomatoes have cooled, you'll notice quite a bit of liquid left in the bowl (especially if you let them sit overnight). Adding it all back into the salsa makes it sort of watery (see picture on original post). I didn't add any back into it this time around and I liked the thicker texture. It also thickens as it sits in the fridge, so hold on to that liquid in case you want to thin it out later.
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Yum! Now can I have the recipe for the little pile of masa they leave on your plate at Chevys? :)
Christina! You can! Click on the "Chevy's Sweet Corn Tomalito" link at the top of the post and it will take you right to it.
So funny. I would say my most searched for recipe is the Trader Joe's cilantro jalapeno hummus. Kopykat recipes rule!
This salsa looks fantastic. I've actually never been to Chevy's but I hear good things.
my kids love salsa and chips when they come home from school. i am so opposed to buying anything like this in the "jar"! This is going to become a household staple. thanks.
There's nothing like homemade salsa! Thanks for a great recipe!
I've made your revised recipe three times already. Just the right amount of heat and smokiness. It tastes awesome with fish, scrambled eggs, steak, chicken – so good! Thank you!
Zombie – Three times! I agree… I love it with all of those things as well. I even use it on salads in place of dressing (depending on the salad…) I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m back. :) Never really left, just life was busy, so I haven’t been trying many (more like any) new recipes lately…until this week! So, some friends invited us over for dinner and my assignment was pico de gallo, guacamole, and salsa. 3 problems: 1. guacamole is the only one of those things that I’ve made by myself (and it was just okay tasting) 2. I’d never ever made pico de gallo and for some reason the thought of eating raw tomatoes and onions makes me gag (except if they are in the form of a not too chunky salsa) 3. my friend is hispanic and a great cook. Long story short – I made 5 salsas (each recipe from a different person). I’ve had them in my “to try” file, so I thought the best way to find our favorite was to just make them all at once and taste test. Your salsa was 2nd in the tasting line and I felt sorry for all those that followed. Yours blew all the others out of the water…seriously! Yours is the only salsa I will ever make again. Oh, and I should let you know that my friend’s husband said he was a little nervous that she had asked a gringo :) to bring the salsa, but after tasting it he was impressed. Oh, and we all had second helpings of chips and salsa after we ate dessert. The only thing I think you should add somewhere in the recipe is the word ADDICTING in big fat bold capital letters. :)
REALLY?! Lindsey, you just made my night. Way to perform under pressure. I’d be a nervous wreck if I was in charge of bringing salsa for a hispanic to eat. Glad to know this one passed the test! As far as basic salsas, it’s the only one I make, too. I tried to figure out how to can it last year, but I was terrified of getting the acidity wrong and giving us all botulism. So I used another. (Wasn’t as good, but hey, we’re alive and well.)
The husband of one of my friends spent 2 years in Mexico, and even though he’s a “gringo” he’s particular about his salsa. She said she made him the Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa from my blog, and he really liked it! https://www.perrysplate.com/2011/05/tomatillo-chipotle-salsa.html
P.S. Even though you said that this recipe should fit nicely in a quart-sized mason jar, I was completely impressed that the recipe fit PERFECTLY in the jar. Like almost to the very top, but not so much that you have to worry about it sloshing out when you open the lid. It made me so happy that I pointed it out to my husband.
:) I think we share a fondness for perfectly filled containers. I remember being really excited when my first batch filled it perfectly!
How convenient that you suggested your tomatillo chipotle salsa. I have your chipotle beef burritos and chiptotle steak and potato soup on our menu this week and I was just wondering what I should do with the extra chiles in the can. And I kind of love tomatillos. Something about finding such a pretty green thing under that ugly husk.
A former Girlfriend used to make this at home for me.
There is no Liquid Smoke or Vinegar in Chevy’s Salsa.
The Salsa gets its unique flavor from the roasting of the JalepenÅs, Onions, and Tomatoes
The more you roast them, the darker and more flavorful it will be. It should not be light pink in color, and NEVER add Liquid Smoke! (or Vinegar)
By the way, my former Girfriend was a Chevy’s District Manager.
Would you have the original recipe she used?
Can this be put in smaller mason jars and frozen?
Please let me know too! I just made a batch and it’s so much salsa, I really don’t want it to go to waste.
Can this salsa be canned for the future?