The kitchen of Tarántula, a restaurant in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, was recently filled with the pungent aroma of fresh bell peppers, as Chef Emmanuel Peña prepared a batch of salsa taquera. Despite the eye-watering capsaicin vapors, Peña diligently pureed about 20 chili peppers. “I’m preparing a salsa taquera,” he explained, describing it as a typical Mexican sauce commonly served with tacos. At Tarántula, the salsa is made with tomatillos, garlic, oil, and roasted jalapeños.
Hailing from Monterrey, the capital of Nuevo León in Mexico, Peña is accustomed to serving this sauce with his cortadillo norteño, a traditional beef stew from northeastern Mexico. The rich, red-brown sauce also features prominently in his taco marrano, a dish featuring a warm, pressed wheat tortilla topped with red cabbage and slow-cooked pork.
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