Trader Joe’s Hatch Valley Salsa. I read recently somewhere that production of chilies in New Mexico is at an all time low and they are actually worried that they are going to eventually lose their reputation as the best place to get authentic chilies. There is one thing that might save that repuation and get more acres of chilies planted and that is the Hatch Valley, New Mexico. I firsted starting hearing about these wonderful chilies a couple of years back. I don’t think they were much known outside of New Mexico until recently, but are quickly getting a nationwide reputation as the best chilies in the country, maybe the world.
Hatch Valley, NM is claimed to be the perfect climate for chilies of all types. Think of Hatch Valley as a terrior like wine (Burgundy, Champagne, etc) and in the Hatch valley they grow many types of chilies. Recently the big gourmet grocery stores around here in the Seattle area have started carrying Hatch chilies in the summer when the big harvest happens. They are generally Anaheim style chili peppers, long and light green. I’m sure you can get all types of different chilies from the valley but these seem to be the most popular. There might be a red variation but I’ve never seen them in person.
The Hatch valley generally sits at 4000 ft elevation and has just the perfect amount of sunshine, heat and rain to make these chilies so wonderful. But it doesn’t end there. They fire roast them and only the best farms hand peel them before canning or turning into something else like this salsa. (Not sure if these are hand peeled).
This salsa is probably some of the best I have ever tasted from a jar. It has a nice smokey roasted flavor, with a fair amount of heat, but not enough to knock you back. There are also tomatillas, lime juice and garlic in the mix, but really the star of the whole thing is the Hatch chilies. We go through a fair amount of salsa in our house from taco night to dips and football games and this will be our go to salsa from here on out. You simply can’t beat this deal at $2.49. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s Hatch Valley salsa and give it 9 Bells!
