BAJA FRESH SALSA BAJA

You won’t find freezers, can openers, or microwave ovens at this national Mexican food chain. Since 1990 Baja Fresh has been serving up great food, made fresh with each order. As you’re waiting for your food to come out, that’s when you hit up the salsa bar, where you’ll find several varieties of delicious fresh salsa, from hot to mild, ready to be spooned into little tubs that you can take to your table or to your car. One of the most popular selections is called Salsa Baja: Its medium spiciness, smoky flavor, and deep black color make the salsa unique and mysterious. That is, until now, since I’ve got a Top Secret formula for you right here. Blacken the tomatoes and jalapeños on your grill, then dump all the ingredients into a blender. Now you’re just a button press away from 3 cups of amazing homemade salsa.

1. Preheat the barbecue grill to high heat.

2. Place 6 of the tomatoes, stem-side-down (remove any stems), directly on the grill. Roast the tomatoes over the flame for 10 to 20 minutes.When the tomatoes are very charred and blackened on the first side, flip them over and continue to grill for another 10 to 20 minutes, until most of the surface of each tomato is black. When you flip over the tomatoes, add the jalapeños to the grill (take the stem off first). The jalapeño skin will blacken like the tomatoes.Turn the peppers as they cook so that all the skin darkens.

3. Take the tomatoes and peppers off the grill and put them in a bowl to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Dump the tomatoes and peppers and any liquid in the bowl into a blender. Add the garlic and salt and blend on high speed until pureed. Add the water and lime juice and blend again on high speed for 30 to 45 seconds. As the blackened bits of tomato are chopped finer, the sauce will darken.

4. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Dice the remaining tomato and add it to the salsa. Add the onion and cilantro, then let the salsa cool in the refrigerator.

• MAKES 3 CUPS.