Tart and spicy, honey sweet and just a little bit smoky, this vivid orange-red guajillo chile dressing gives brilliant zing to salads. Paired with a rainbow of dark green arugula, white jicama and carrot matchsticks, and thin-sliced purple cabbage—we’re talking bling. Zing.
This bright red orange dressing is a simple blend of easy-to-find guajillo chiles with honey, key limes, tequila and olive oil!
Click here to PIN this brilliant Guajillo Chile Dressing!
Guajillo (gwah-HEE-yoh) chiles have a tapered shape and reddish-brown color and mild tart flavor. You can easily find them in see-through bags in your supermarket Mexican aisle.
Last week we flew over to San Miguel de Allende, the historic colonial city about 4 hours north of Mexico City. At a pretty patio restaurant, I ordered a goat cheese salad with the spicy red guajillo salad dressing that inspired this recipe. We like this version much better than the original!
Back in Los Barriles, I’ve been busy in our little trailer kitchen. Besides blending up this guajillo chile salad dressing, I pressure-cooked brothy black beans for soup and tacos and made granola with agave and coconut oil and lots of nuts. (Roasting granola in a one-rack trailer oven eats up more time than a slow-loading Internet connection.)
After that I char-roasted poblano chiles for chiles rellenos, whipped up a batch of green salsa, and steeped hibiscus flowers for pink margaritas. Talk about a pile of dirty dishes!
To cut the skinny matchstick-looking carrots and jicama, slice them 1/8-inch thick. (A hand-held mandolin slicer is the perfect too.) Stacked about 5 slices high, the sliced vegetables are easy to cut into julienne strips.
Wishing you a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something delicious!
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Guajillo Chile Dressing
Ingredients
The dressing:
- 2 guajillo chiles (see note)
- â…“ cup olive oil
- â…“ cup avocado or grapeseed oil
- â…“ cup fresh-squeezed key lime juice or rice wine vinegar (see note)
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 teaspoons 100% agave tequila, optional
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
The salad itself:
- 4 handfuls arugula leaves
- 1 or 2 carrots
- ½ jicama
- ¼ red cabbage
- 1 avocado
Instructions
Make the dressing:
- Warm the chiles on a comal or griddle, or in a dry cast iron skillet. You want the chiles to soften—do not allow them to burn.
- Cut off the stems. Tap the chiles upside-down until all of the seeds fall out. Discard the seeds. (see note)
- Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Weigh them down with a small plate to keep them submerged. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- Drain the chiles. Coarsely slice into rings, about ½ -inch wide. Place the chiles and the remaining ingredients in a blender. Blend until very smooth.
Make the salad itself:
- Tear arugula in bite-size pieces. Cut jicama and carrots into julienne (matchstick) strips. Slice cabbage as thinly as possible. One cup each of carrots, jicama and cabbage is a good amount for 4 servings.
- Arrange arugula, jicama, carrots, cabbage and avocado in a bowl or on chilled plates. Serve with the dressing in a separate bowl, or toss it over the salad at the last minute.
Notes
- Guajillo (gwah-HEE-yoh) chiles have a tapered shape and reddish-brown color and mild tart flavor. Find them in see-through bags in your supermarket Mexican aisle.
- Guajillo chile dressing definitely has a spicy kick. If you prefer milder, use only one chile. And be sure to knock out all the seeds, which carry much of the picante heat.
- Many cooks (and eaters) prefer a ratio of 2:1 ratio oil to acid; if you like, cut the olive and sunflower oil down to ¼ cup each.
- The key limes (limones) that grow here in Baja pack an acidic punch. For less acid, use rice vinegar. Lemon juice can also substitute for the lime juice.
- Tequila optional. Resposado or añejo tequila adds subtle smokiness.
My son gave me this link. They grew tired of salad till they foun your recipe. I plan to search for exact ingredients on my next trip to grocery store. Thanks for the substitutions. Small cities don’t have access to a lot of recipe ingredients for today’s recipes. · 24 February, 2019
Yay! Thank you! Here’s to everyone loving salads with fun new dressings! · 26 February, 2019