How to Make a Fresh Tomato and Serrano Sauce for Enchiladas

What this sauce is and when to use it

Most guides to homemade enchilada sauce in three easy steps start with dried chiles. This one doesn't. It is a fresh sauce built from ripe tomatoes, whole serrano chiles, garlic, salt and a little oil. Food writer Lesley Téllez documents it as her adaptation of a Diana Kennedy recipe. The three steps are simmering the tomatoes and chiles, blending them, and then frying the purée in hot oil until it deepens in color.

The result is a smooth, red, chile-hot tomato sauce. You keep it warm on the stove so tortillas can be dipped in it and filled right away. Use it when you want a bright, fresh-tasting red sauce instead of the earthier flavor of dried chiles, and when you plan to assemble the enchiladas as soon as the sauce is done.

Ingredients

Ingredient	Full batch	Notes
Ripe tomatoes	1.5 lb	Whole
Serrano chiles	3	Stems removed, otherwise whole
Garlic	2 cloves	Roughly chopped before blending
Neutral oil	3 tbsp	For frying the blended sauce
Salt	To taste	Added after frying
Cooking water	1/3 cup	Reserved from the pot

Illustrative half batch (scaled by arithmetic, not a tested schedule): 0.75 lb tomatoes, 1 garlic clove, 1.5 tbsp oil and 1/6 cup reserved liquid, which is about 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons. The serrano count does not halve cleanly, so pick one or two chiles based on how much heat you want.

Equipment

A saucepan large enough to hold the tomatoes in a single layer with water
A colander or slotted spoon for draining, plus a cup to catch the reserved water
A blender
A skillet or wide pan for frying the sauce

Step-by-step method

1. Simmer. Put the tomatoes and stemmed serranos in the pot. Add water until it reaches about two-thirds of the way up the tomatoes. Bring to a gentle boil.
2. Watch for the stopping point. Keep cooking until the serranos have softened and the tomato skins are starting to split open while the tomatoes still hold their shape. Stop here. Don't let them collapse.
3. Drain and reserve. Drain the pot, saving 1/3 cup of the cooking water.
4. Prep the aromatics. Roughly chop the garlic and the softened serranos.
5. Blend. Put the tomatoes, chopped chiles, garlic and reserved water in the blender. Blend until the mixture is completely liquid.
6. Fry. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the blended sauce and cook until it is heated through and has turned a deeper red.
7. Season and hold. Add salt to taste. Turn the heat to low and keep the sauce warm until you dip the tortillas and assemble.

How to judge each stage

The source method gives visual cues rather than clock times, so watch the food, not a timer.

Simmering is done when the serranos are soft and the tomatoes are just beginning to open but are still whole.
Blending is done when the purée is fully liquid, with no visible chunks of tomato or chile.
Frying is done when the sauce is hot all the way through and its color has shifted to a deeper red than it was coming out of the blender.
The sauce is ready to use once it is salted and holding warm over low heat.

Managing the heat level

Téllez reports that the heat varied from batch to batch even when she used the same number of serranos. Three chiles will not always taste the same. Taste the sauce after frying, before you start dipping tortillas. If you are cooking for people who are sensitive to spice, start with fewer serranos. A sauce that is too mild can't easily be made hotter once it is blended and fried.

Timing with the rest of the meal

This sauce is meant to go straight from the skillet into enchilada assembly, held warm over low heat while you work. Tortilla preparation and filling are separate tasks. Have them ready, or nearly ready, by the time the sauce finishes frying. The method doesn't cover making the sauce ahead or storing it. If you need a make-ahead sauce, check a recipe that covers storage.