Los Cuates Salsa

[u/gtrgeo6]

Los Coates is a New Mexican restaurant in Albuquerque. We used to be able to order it but unfortunately they stopped packaging it for sale. Since we love 1300 miles a way stopping in for a quart is not an option. My wife loves this salsa. Has anyone ever attempted a copy cat of this salsa? Would love to be able to replicate at home. Thanks

[u/brahccoli_cheddah]

Post in the New Mexico sub, maybe find someone local that can ship you a few jars

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/brahccoli_cheddah]

Thanks, unfortunately they are not jarring their salsa any longer. We called them directly to see if we could have some sent.

[u/exgaysurvivordan]

It may not be a perfect match but I did test out some New Mexico restaurant style salsa

https://www.reddit.com/r/SalsaSnobs/s/tFRcOgvEif

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/exgaysurvivordan]

Thank you, this is definitely different than what Los Cuates makes but it looks good.

[u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261]

I've been there! Probably ten years ago. It was outstanding.

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/Ok-Lingonberry-8261]

We lived in the Albuquerque area for about 12 years. It was one of the first places we started eating at and it became somewhat of a staple. I also liked Sadie’s for good meal and I like their salsa as well. I’m sure things have changed and there may be better but it is what we know we like.

[u/HealMySoulPlz → u/gtrgeo6]

Sadie's is awful now and Low Cuates has had a substantial loss in quality over the last three years. The barbecue sauce salsa is as controversial as ever, though.

[u/Cow-Weigh]

Los Cuates Salsa: Water, tomato paste (tomato paste, water, salt, citic acid), chile pepper, vinegar, sugar, salt, gravy (water, Carmel color, salt, vinegar, apple juice concentrate, sweeteners[fructose, dextrose, sucrose], natural flavors, malic acid and 0.1% sodium benzoate), red color (water, red 40, citric acid and 0.1% sodium benzoate) beef base (cooked beef with beef broth, salt, hydrolyzed corn soy protein, tortula yeast, maltodextrin, Carmel color, sugar, flavorings, lactic acid, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, * except for that naturally occurring in hydrolyzed corn soy protein), soybean oil, garlic, onion powder, chicken base (salt, sugar, chicken fat, maltodextrin, hydrolyzed cord wheat gluten soy protein, onion powder, turmeric, natural flavorings), nutmeg, black pepper, and seasonings.

[u/Cow-Weigh → u/Cow-Weigh]

Copy and pasted from a past post. As someone who lives near, their salsa is closer to a bbq sauce so I would just start adding honey or molasses to any salsa roja recipe and just add until it gets close.

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/Cow-Weigh]

Yea, their salsa is almost more of a mole than what we typically see as salsa. Thanks for the ingredients we may give it a try.

[u/imbakingalaska → u/gtrgeo6]

Los Cuates–Style Salsa (Homemade Copycat)

Ingredients (makes ~2 cups):

3 dried ancho chiles (or substitute 2 anchos + 1 pasilla for more depth)

1 ½ cups water (for blending; more as needed) 2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) 1 Tbsp molasses

1 tsp sugar (adjust to taste)

1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 fresh clove, roasted)

½ tsp onion powder (or 2 Tbsp sautéed onion for fresh version) ½ tsp black pepper

⅛ tsp ground nutmeg (tinyy pinch – don’t skip, it’s subtle but key)

1 tsp vegetable bouillon paste (or ½ cube; use chicken if not vegetarian)

1 tsp soy sauce (optional – boosts umami)

1 tsp olive oil (or neutral oil, optional, for mouthfeel) Salt to taste

Instructions: Prep chiles: Remove stems and seeds from dried anchos. Place in a bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak for 15–20 minutes until softened. Drain (reserve soak water).

Blend: In a blender, combine softened chiles, 1 cup fresh water (or chile soak water for stronger flavor), tomato paste, vinegar, molasses, sugar, garlic, onion powder, pepper, nutmeg, and bouillon paste. Blend until smooth.

Simmer: Pour blended mixture into a saucepan. Simmer on low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, to deepen flavors. Add more water if too thick (should be pourable, like a slightly loose enchilada sauce).

Adjust: Taste and adjust sweetness (more sugar or honey), tang (vinegar), or salt. Add soy sauce if you want more depth.

Finish: Stir in a small drizzle of olive oil before serving for a silky texture.

Flavor Notes: Sweetness: molasses gives that unique Los Cuates vibe (honey = brighter, molasses = richer).

Chiles: anchos = mild heat + raisiny sweetness; pasilla = earthy depth.

Nutmeg: don’t overdo it — it’s just a background warmth that mimics the “mystery spice.”

Edit sorry for the formatting, on my phone

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/imbakingalaska]

Thank you!!! Looks to be a bit of work but hopefully worth it in the end.

[u/HealMySoulPlz]

I would find a barbecue sauce you like and add ground red chile.

[u/ChuckFarkley]

I used to get that salsa directly from the restaurant back when we lived in Albuquerque. Delicious! (and much better than the ABQ restaurant salsa you can get at WalMart)

Of note- it's not vegan at all and has some meat products in it. I think the single hardest issue about copying it for enjoyment outside of NM is that it is damnably hard to find NM-grown chilis that are genuinely hot outside the state. Even the Hatch brand "HOT" cans of roasted peppers is anything but. I can't distinguish it from the "MILD" labeled cans.

[u/gtrgeo6 → u/ChuckFarkley]

Yea, we do have some Mexican specialty stores in the area which are usually pretty good, one has the different dried peppers in bulk rather than the little packets. They are usually legit.

[u/hotsaucesensei]

The beef broth is an interesting addition.