Tacos of Texas

Rick Martinez: When you make a salsa, you’re basically doing meal prep, right? Yeah. You’re cutting really flavorful ingredients. Mm-hmm. It’s contained in one little jar Sure. Or container. Yeah. So now that can become a soup base. Yeah. It can be your base for rice. Mm-hmm. Or for beans, it can be a marinade for meats.

Mm-hmm. Uh, it can be a glaze for barbecue, like you can cook it down, fry it, and then, you know, it’s a, a dipping sauce or a barbecue sauce. It’s just like, to me it’s like endless what you can

Mando Rayo: do with it. What’s up Taco World? I’m Taco Journalist Mandore, and welcome to the Tacos of Texas podcast, El Cinco, produced by Identity Productions in partnership with KUT and KUTX studios.

And we’re back exploring taco culture in Texas through the eyes of the people in the Lone Star state. So grab some salsa, matcha ito topos, and get ready. For some Moy Tasty taco conversations.

In today’s episode of Tacos of Texas, we dip our way into Mexican cooking and salsas. With Chef Rick Martinez, we talk about the flavors he grew up with, the sauces that shaped him and a love for salsa so strong, it became the heart of his newest cookbook. Salsa. Daddy,

it’s Mando here, diving chip. First into the res and the no pica, no pica feelings of the many levels of salsa. Now, growing up in Tejas salsa was always there on tacos in the backyard, cookouts on the mesa, and we had one of those TIAs that always put it in their purse because. You’ll never know. Per salsa brings it all together.

The flavor roots equal tura. Rick Martinez gets it. Like many of us, Rick knows what it feels like to be caught between worlds to Mexican for some, not Mexican enough for others. He grew up right here in Texas, surrounded by Mexican, but still feeling like an outsider. So what does he do? He packs up, travels across 32 Mexican states, tasting and connecting with people and recipes until he arrives in the beautiful beach town of Malan and decides to stay.

Today, Rick isn’t trying to fit into anyone’s idea of what Mexicans should be. He’s making space for joy, color, and self-expression on the plate and beyond. From pride events in New York to vibrant dishes and dazzling photos, Rick’s journey is a bold reminder that our stories, just like our Sal sauce, should never be bland.

It is taco time. And now here’s a word from our sponsor. BA visit El Paso. It’s the hometown of this taco journalist. El Paso is now the boot capital of Texas aa. On May 20th, governor Greg Abbott signed the resolution of officially designating El Paso as a boot capital of Texas with the endorsement from Senator Cesar Blanco.

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Gracia to our friends at Visit El Paso for sponsoring this podcast episode. Follow visit El Paso on Instagram and Facebook at visit El Paso or on their website@visitelpaso.com. Join Austin Parks Foundation for Party for the Parks happening on October 8th on the ac l Festival grounds in Zilker Park.

This unique fundraiser brings together hundreds of. Parks people for a night of revelry and live music while raising critical funds for Austin Parks, trails, and green spaces. Learn more@party.austinparks.org. Gracias to our friends at Austin Parks Foundation for sponsoring this podcast episode. Follow a PF on Instagram and Facebook at Austin Parks Foundation or on their website@austinparks.org.

Rick Martinez is a James Beard Award-winning author, chef, recipe developer and food personality who regularly contributes to the New York Times, known for his groundbreaking first cookbook, Miko Cina, a New York Times and Los Angeles Times bestseller. Rick is back with Salsa Daddy celebrating salsa.

Endless possibilities. Betos de kiwi, salha. Let’s dip in, right, Rick? Let’s do it. Well, welcome to the, the re. This is what I love. This. This is where we’re at now. Well, welcome back to Austin. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. You’re an Austin native. Yes. Yeah. So tell me about like growing up, what influenced you?

Rick Martinez: Uh, I mean really the, mainly the, the cooking of my family, Uhhuh. Like that’s, you know, we, I mean we ate out, but it was more like, I mean, we, like, we ate Conan’s Pizza and you know, that, that kind of stuff. There’s still one left here in Austin, I think. Yeah. I love, I I still love Conan’s so much. Oh yeah.

Yeah. Um, also like I went to Crockett High School, so like Okay. It was right across the street and so we would just go, there was like a can of Coke and a slice of pizza for like a dollar 50 or something. Yeah. So, um. But you know, like my, my father, my mother were really great cooks. My grandmothers were amazing cooks.

And so, you know, I grew up just around homemade flour tortillas. Yeah. And gizo and menudo and tamales and, and. I mean that I, you know, like looking back, I was like, oh damn, I was really lucky. Like, I didn’t realize how lucky I was. ’cause I just thought everybody cooked like that, you know? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah,

Mando Rayo: yeah.

Um, I think that’s what every Mexican thinks. Like we all cook like this, right? Yeah,

Rick Martinez: yeah, yeah. And then you’re like, wait, no, you’re eating like tuna helper. What? No. Um, so no, those were my, my big influences and I thought. Growing up that, because, you know, in the seventies and the eighties, you know, we were that Mexican family, right?

Yeah. So I lived in deep South Austin actually. Mm-hmm. It was outside of Austin then. Mm-hmm. Um, and I was like the first, uh, Mexican American kid in my elementary school. Okay. So, you know, it’s like all white. Yeah. And you know, we were just like that Mexican family. Yeah. Yeah. And so. You know, I was a little kid.

I didn’t know any better. So I’m like, okay, so we’re just like every Mexican family on earth. Yeah. Yeah. And so when I actually started traveling into Mexico, I was like, wait, this isn’t like the food that I grew up with. Right. And I remember like, I was like 17 or 18, and I called my mom and I, I’m in, you know, Mexico City.

I’m like, what is this? Like, I don’t understand like, where is our food from? Where are we from? ’cause like people don’t look like us down here, Uhhuh, you know? And, and so that was. That was always kind of in the back of my head, and that was really one of the big motivations for writing, uh, Mina.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: But now you live in Mexico, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Right. Malan.

Mando Rayo: Yeah. So what, what took you, I know, traveling, but what, what’s that? You know what I’m gonna, this is where I’m gonna live. I mean, you

Rick Martinez: know, it’s a, it’s a combination of things. One, you know, honestly, the, the first part was that I lived in, in New York after Austin. Yeah. I, I moved to Dallas for a little bit and then moved to New York.

I was in New York for 20 years. Mm-hmm. I love New York, but I just got tired of the winter. Yeah, yeah. Um, and then when I was riding Mina, I, uh, I had originally thought that I would get an apartment in, uh, Mexico City, Uhhuh, and like do winter down there and summer and, and spring in New York. But, um, I love the beach.

Yeah. And when I was. Oh God. Like, I think I was like 23 or 24. We went down, I was a, with a group of friends and we went backpacking from, um, bar Navidad, which is on the Pacific coast. Uhhuh, uh, in Guadalajara and, uh, San Miguel and, uh, Guanajuato. Mm-hmm. And. I remember thinking like that was the most amazing beach I think I’d ever been to.

And um, and also the shrimp boats would come in in the morning. Oh yeah. And my friends would, and I would get up and they would make, uh, they would clean the shrimp. There was a guy cleaning the shrimp. Yeah. Another guy making pico de gallo and another guy frying tortillas. Wow. And so we would get shrimp ceviche and, uh, fresh tos, salads.

And there was another guy that was like cutting coconuts off the trees and making pina coladas. So like by 8:00 AM. We’re drinking like pictures of Yeah. You’re like a Corona.

Mando Rayo: You’re living a Corona commercial. Exactly. Yeah. No,

Rick Martinez: it was, and I remember thinking, I want to retire here, you know, on the beach in Mexico.

Yeah. And I mean, I’m not retired, but, uh, but now I’m living on the beach. Yeah.

Mando Rayo: Nice. Yeah. Nice. That’s beautiful. And that, that led you to explore the country and traveled through 32 states.

Rick Martinez: So I bought a car in Mexico City, Uhhuh in, uh, 2019. Okay. I still have it, uh, although I don’t drive that much anymore.

Yeah. But, um. Yeah, I’ve driven probably like 40, 45,000 miles.

Mando Rayo: Dang.

Rick Martinez: Um, probably visited at this point, like over 500 cities and pueblos and, you know, just, um, I, I love that. Like, I love, I love knowing the country. Like when I lived here, I, I loved going on road trips, Uhhuh, when we were little, I had an aunt and uncle that lived in LA and then another aunt and uncle that lived in Georgia.

Mm-hmm. And so. We got to know I 10 really well. Like we just go all the way west and then all the way east. Um, it’s amazing to me like when you can see the geography change and then you stop in a town and the food changes, right? Oh yeah. It’s like, you know, you’re in the mountains, there’s certain things that grow in the mountains.

Mm-hmm. And then you get closer to the ocean and you know, the, like it’s turned into seafood and it becomes a little more tropical. Then you go into the desert and it goes into ADA and flour tortillas instead of corn. Mm-hmm. Um, and that. That to me is really, it just helps me understand the country better.

Right? Yeah. Because you, you understand the geography, you understand the climate, you understand the food and why the people eat what they eat.

Mando Rayo: Right? Right. Yeah. No, I mean, I think that’s part of the, like infusing yourself into a community really. You trying to find your way and, and, and find the roads and talk to people.

Right. And sometimes, you know, when I’ve traveled. In Mexico or just in Latin America. It’s like when you’re traveling by yourself, like the best way to do it because everybody’s super friendly. Yeah. Right. And everybody talks to you because maybe ’cause you’re by yourself or whatever, you know? Then you get to know people.

Right. It’s a, it’s amazing

Rick Martinez: when you live in New York, you’re like very guarded and rejected. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you get to Mexico and everybody’s like, ah, you need to come to my cardo. Or like, my cousin’s getting married next week. You need to come. He makes some best bar. And I’m like, wait, what do you want?

Why are you talking to me? You know? And, and it, you know, and it finally, I was like. Mexicans, Uhhuh, they want to share. Mm-hmm. They wanna share what they have, and it doesn’t matter how much or how little they have. Yeah. They want to invite you into their world and, and they don’t want anything in return.

There’s a belief that you, you treat people like that and then it comes back to you. Yeah. At some point. But, you know, so the whole country I just feel like is about sharing and giving. Mm-hmm.

Mando Rayo: Beautiful.

Rick Martinez: And it’s, it’s amazing. Like it, you know. It’s so different than here. Yeah.

Mando Rayo: Yeah. It, it is definitely a different vibe when you’re in the United States, to be honest.

But, so that led you to your latest book, salsa Daddy. Yes. Yes. So why salsas? I love salsas.

Rick Martinez: Honestly, the, the thing that, um, well, in, in Micena Uhhuh, um, I get a asked a lot or I’d gotten asked a lot, like, you know, we need more salsas. People know how to make guacamole uhhuh, or they make a salsa roja or birthday.

Yeah. But they are always wanting more. Mm-hmm. They wanted change it up. And so I’d put, you know, 16 salsas in Mina. Mm-hmm. And people love that, but they wanted more. Mm-hmm. And then, um, you know, having lived in Mexico now for a while. Know, I’ve gotten invited to a lot of family parties. Mm-hmm. Uh, uh, ADA and mm-hmm.

Weddings. And, um, the thing that has struck me the most is that, you know, in, in Mexican families, there’s like a hierarchy of who gets to cook what? Yeah. Right. So it’s like the people, the oldest people get to cook whatever they want and you cannot touch that gizo, the, the tamales or whatever. Yes,

Mando Rayo: yes, yes.

Um,

Rick Martinez: and then. You know, then like the next level of the theos and your, your mom, your dad, uh, and then when you’re really young, like there’s not a lot left for you to cook Sure. Other than salsas. Yeah. You know, and, and no family is gonna, you know, say we can only have two salsas, right? Yeah. Yeah. So if you have 20 salsas.

Fine.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: And so, you know, I, I’ve seen so many little kids, right? Like teenagers, but then like 8, 9, 10, mm-hmm. Years old, making these incredible salsas Wow. And also super hot. Like, I think they also really love to like, make the older people like tear up and challenge. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like, no, no, no. I can eat a pan of those.

What about you? Yeah, yeah,

Mando Rayo: yeah.

Rick Martinez: Um, and so, you know, like these little kids are fearless in the kitchen, right? Mm-hmm. They don’t have a lot of experience. Mm-hmm. They don’t know that much about food. Mm-hmm. But they can go into a kitchen, whether it’s their mom or their grandmother’s kitchen, and just like throw things together and make these incredible salsas with a lot of ingredients that the adults would never think to put together.

Think about, right? Yeah. Yeah. And. And for them it’s like, you know when you put a bowl out of salsa out, you know, for the family and everyone is eating your salsa. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it all of a sudden, like after a few hours it’s gone, but all the other salsa are still there. Yeah. You know who’s the champ is.

Right. Exactly. Right. And I mean that was really what kind of inspired, like, I was like, I wanna be like these little 11-year-old kids. Yeah. And I want, so, you know, like I started like just kind of playing around, uh, and having more fun with it. Mm-hmm. And then I thought, you know what? I wanna, I want to show people how to do this.

Yeah. I want people to like. Understand that there’s no necessarily right way to make a guacamole. Mm-hmm. And I think, I think Americans believe that. And regardless of what culture it is, yeah. There is one way to make this and that’s it. Right. Right. This is the authentic blank. Sure. Sure. And. It’s either that or past pecan sauce.

Mando Rayo: Right, right, right. And the reality is, is

Rick Martinez: like everybody in Mexico has their own, every single person has their own version of a sate. Yeah, yeah. Or a guacamole. Yes. Or, or whatever, you know, and, and it’s beautiful, right. I think most Americans believe that there’s one way to make anything, right? Mm-hmm.

Whether it’s Mexican food or a diff food of a different culture. Mm-hmm. And the reality is, is that, you know. In Mexico and probably every other country, like people cook the way that they want, right? Mm-hmm. They cook with what they have, what they love, what they can afford. Yeah. What’s in season and you know, like if you and I had a Ada mm-hmm.

You would make a salsa ta tamala and I would make a salsa ta tamala. They’re gonna be completely different and that’s fine. That’s what, to me, that’s the beauty of cooking, right? Yeah. You. You make food the way that you like it, and then you learn from people. Right. You know, and, um, and so that’s what I wanted to inspire in Salsa Daddy.

Right. Yeah. Because I, you know, like so many people ask me, well, what is the correct way to make a, a salsa matcha? And it’s like, you can do whatever you want. Yeah. Like, you know, now I’ve started, um, one of the things that I’ve started doing, and I’ve never seen this before, but I like putting a little bit of either vinegar or pickled, uh, chilies.

Yeah. Yeah. In the salsa matcha, just to give it a little like. Kick. Right, right, right, right. And it’s amazing. Yeah. Like there’s a, uh, I made a salsa matcha with, uh, toasted pecans and, uh, jalapenos esco. Ooh. Oh wow. The acidity so good, right? Yeah. So a little bit of brine and a lot of the jalapenos, but also some chit bean for some.

Big heat. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Mando Rayo: Sometimes we get kind of stuck trying to make, uh, like whether it’s a salsa or another dish, it has to be perfect. Right. And we don’t have, and maybe for home cooks that they’re just starting out, they have to follow the recipe to the tea. But no, like recipes didn’t start that way.

Recipes started with like this and that and that. Not really a measurement. Yeah. It’s more like the taste.

Rick Martinez: Yeah. Yeah. Right. The beauty of salsas is that, you know, it doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. Or even money. Mm-hmm. To buy the ingredients. And a lot of the recipes in there are just pantry ingredients.

Mm-hmm. So it’s like you have an a quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic. Yeah. Like either a can of tomatoes or a fresh tomato, whatever. Right. And you just throw it together. And then, you know, as you taste and you decide, oh, you know, like, I like a little more onion. Instead of a quarter, I’m gonna use a half.

Or it’s a little less. Or I’m gonna add a green on you, whatever you want. Yeah. And I think once you start to develop that, that sense of your taste, your sason, and then you get confident with it, then you just start like putting whatever in there that you want. Yeah, yeah. And have fun.

Mando Rayo: Yeah. Yeah. I love that.

I love that. Okay, so most people. Like when they think about salsa, you know, you talked about, oh, there’s a red and the green and you dip, then that’s kind of the basics. Yeah, yeah. But what else can you do with that salsa? What are the many ways, can you salsa?

Rick Martinez: Well, that’s the thing about salsa in Mexico is that, you know, salsa is sauce.

Yeah. Right. So. Yes, there’re Salsa de Mesa, which are the, the re rojo guacamole matcha. Um, but then you get into all the gizo, the moles, the piani, so the cooked salsas Yeah. That are the base for so many different dishes. Mm-hmm. Usually what I have found is that a lot of. Cooks in Mexico, they’ll have the, okay, this is the way that I make my gizo for, uh, chili Colorado.

Mm-hmm. Or for tamales or for whatever. So it’s like the, these, you know, guillo, CIA and a little bit of ancho. Mm-hmm. Maybe some Chipotle or tine Chile, the arable, and then that’s the base for a lot of different dishes. Mm-hmm. Um, and so, you know, that’s. That’s one, one version. Mm-hmm. But then the moles and pipis I love, right?

Yeah. Yeah. Those are different in every region, every city, every Rancho, they have their own. Um, and then there are the fermented salsas, right? Uh, the cortis there are like cortis, dairy based salsa. So the crema, there’s a, um, there’s a Salsa Lanka in Baja, and it’s like. Cre, sometimes it’s a little bit of mayo, sometimes it’s both.

Okay. Um, and it’s just, it’s so good ’cause it’s like, you know, a little bit of ajo, cilantro, serrano. Sometimes it’s Chitin or Chili Quin in Berra Cruz, uh, and Tam Lippa. There’s a, uh, in chi, so there’s. Uh, uh, chili PAOs are also PIIs and chit pins, depending on where you’re from. Okay. It’s a version of that.

Um, but it’s a mayonnaise and c caramel based salsa that they use in a lot of seafood, especially crab and, um, oh yeah, that makes sense. And, uh, uh, shrimp. It’s so good. Oh, oh my God, it’s so good. Yeah, so I mean, like, they’re just all of these sauces all over Mexico and I, again, like, it’s just I wanted to expand, right?

Like everybody knows salsa the mesa, right. And chips and, and dip. Sure.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: Uh, you know, opening it up and then the sweet salsa. Mm-hmm. Um, there’s a, uh. So I have like a, a tequila caramel in there, two chocolate salsas. There’s a, a berry salsa that I love. Um, it, I made it that one with like mixed berries, like you can literally just go whatever’s in season.

Right, right, right. You know, just get a couple of pounds of berries, uhhuh. Um, a little bit of salt. Uh, uh, and then I use ginger and, uh, either cinnamon or clove. All spice. Yeah. Um, and then audible. Chotin. Mm-hmm. Pe Um, and at my, uh, RIA in, in California, I have, uh, dessert nachos, which Oh, okay. They’re basically, it’s Bunuelo.

Bunuelo, yeah. Uh, with the salsa, the, the, the berry salsa on top with casa fresco and, and, uh, crema and a little bit of lime zest.

Mando Rayo: Oh,

Rick Martinez: yeah. They’re. Yeah. Okay. So what

Mando Rayo: about, what about like something like Esche? So is that a considered a song?

Rick Martinez: Yes. Okay. So the way that I divided up the book in chapters mm-hmm.

Is by the way that you prepare it. Okay. There’s a chapter that’s, uh, chopped, which are the pico de Gallos. Mm-hmm. But even like cortis, which are, you know, like. They’re almost like a, a coleslaw, a fermented coleslaw. Mm-hmm. That

Mando Rayo: is also considered a salsa. Obviously Mexicanos, we have salsa with everything.

Mexican food and non Mexican food. Right. But you also included a lot of the salsas that may, may go into other kinds of dishes, like how can people, uh, use salsa with other dishes? Outside of the Mexican kind of diaspora. I

Rick Martinez: mean, I think it’s basically whatever you want. Mm-hmm. Like, you know, so the thing is every, every culture has, yeah.

And when you think about like, what is the function of a sauce, then? Anything, like, anything fried, anything baked, uh, you know, any kind of a sandwich that needs mm-hmm. A little bit of condiment or a little bit of, of moisture. Or, or flavor or heat, you know, like Mexican salsas. Go on. Just about any food from any culture Yeah.

Or cuisine. Mm-hmm. So especially in a salsa, you have like the brightness of either the tomillo or a good tomato or lemon. Um, and then you have like this, this constant heat from the Chile. And then sometimes you have like nuts, toasted nuts or seeds and. Like to me that that profile will go on an egg roll or fried rice.

Mm-hmm. Or you know, a burger or fried chicken or, you know, I mean like, just put it on egg. May loaf. Come on. Oh my god. May loaf eaters. Do you need this help though? Like, what else can you do with, with salsa Uhhuh and that’s the thing that I think is so amazing and it’s changed the way that I cook. Mm-hmm.

For myself because. When you make a salsa, you’re basically doing meal prep, right? Yeah. You’re cutting really flavorful ingredients. Mm-hmm. Now they’re, you like it’s, it’s contained in one little jar Sure. Or container. Yeah. So now that can become a soup base. Yeah. It can be your base for rice. Mm-hmm. Or for beans, it can be a marinade for meats.

Mm-hmm. Uh, it can be a glaze for barbecue. Like you can cook it down, fry it, and then, you know, it’s a, a dipping sauce. Or a barbecue sauce. Right. It’s just like, to me it’s like endless what you can do with it and it takes out about like good 20 minutes out of your, you know, you don’t have to cut any more onions or vegetables.

Right? Yeah.

Mando Rayo: Yeah. No, that’s beautiful. When you think about what we have at home and what we have to cook with, sometimes you just like, oh, without running to the store, just making do with what we have, and then it gives you a different flavor, right?

Rick Martinez: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And I think it, I think that to me is like so much fun if you have like, you know, a half a cup of this and a quarter of that.

Yeah, yeah. You know, whatever’s like.

Mando Rayo: Just put it all together. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. There’s a lot of like really good recipes in here and, uh, some standout salsas for me. Like I, I love a good spicy salsa, right? So I think the Serrano salsa that you have in here kind of reminded me of, uh, chicharron. Chiron the Chiles, right?

Uhhuh. Yeah. Yeah. Right, right. And that’s a, a very specific thing as well from, uh, I think the first time I had it was in Mexico City. Mm-hmm. So tell me about that one for the ones that can really get down with the Chile. Yeah.

Rick Martinez: Yeah. So that one, the Serrano Frito. The Ano Frito. So that one, I think the first time I had that was in, um, Oaxaca.

Mando Rayo: Mm-hmm.

Rick Martinez: And like, I remember I tasted it. I was like, wow, this is so, it, it was so complex. Yeah. And I asked the guy. That made it, I was like, what? What’s in here? Like thinking it was like a, you know, long list of things and like, it’s like oil sanos and a little bit of a alcohol and hil. Mm-hmm. That was the thing that I was like, really Hil?

Um, and he’s like, you just like, you just fry it really hard. Yeah. Until they get like toasty. And unlike the smoke, like it doesn’t really get the smoky notes, it just gets like this really deep caramel notes. Yeah. Um, but that preparation is. Amazing to me. ’cause you know, it’s like, it doesn’t require a lot of time.

It certainly doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and it’s just, it’s delicious. Yeah. Yeah.

Mando Rayo: We often think that we have to go refrigerate everything, but No, you could leave it on the table for the week.

Rick Martinez: So one of the things that I do with almost every salsa that I make is I let them ferment. Mm-hmm. So especially like something like that.

Yeah. Um, but you like pretty much anything except for. Anything with avocados in it or fruit. I’m, I usually don’t do that uhhuh, but any other salsa I will just leave out on the counter. Yep. For about three to four days. Yeah. Depending on how hot it is in the kitchen. Right. Um, and. The flavors. Just like the first day.

I feel like most salsas, they’re like screaming kids. Yeah, right. The ingredients. So imagine like if there’s five ingredients in the salsa, imagine five screaming kids and they all want attention. By the second day they’ve kind of calmed down, right? And so now they’re like, all right, we’re chill. And by the third of the fourth date, they’re now singing in harmony.

Oh, nice. And so all of the flavors kind of mellow out and round. You start to develop like a little bit of a funk. Like a, uh, it’s almost like a, uh, uh. Uh, gochujang or, um, uh, oh, my kimchi. Yeah, kimchi. Okay. And so it’s still like spicy, but like everything’s kind of playing in harmony. And then there’s just like this little back note of like fermented funk that I really like.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: Yeah. And, and to me it’s also really fun ’cause like you can take a little bit, like make your SALs. Take a cup of it, put it in the fridge. Mm-hmm. And that’s your fresh version.

Mando Rayo: Sure.

Rick Martinez: And then you’ve got your fermented version. Mm-hmm. You know, and, and now you’ve got like two completely different Celsa, but it’s the

Mando Rayo: same thing.

Same thing, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Speaking of the opposite, right? So there’s no middle. There’s no middle. You either be mild or you gonna are gonna do hot, right? Yeah. Yeah. So what would you recommend in your book, uh, for folks that are like, uh, entry level mild? Yeah, it’s a lot

Rick Martinez: of. Other salsa recipes and, and books that I’ve seen.

Mm-hmm. You know, they have like the little chilies at the top that like, it have five chilies, it’s super hot or whatever. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And I was like, you know, the way that I write recipes now, Uhhuh, like even for the, the Times or other publications mm-hmm. I’m gonna write it the way I like to eat it.

Mm-hmm. And if you don’t like that, then you take the seeds out, use less. I mean, you do you. Yeah. Um, so, you know, I think if you are spice averse, like most of the recipes in there are gonna have like between. 3, 4, 5 chiles. Mm-hmm. And sometimes I mis mix them up. So I think, you know, the, the easiest thing to do is just use one.

Mm-hmm. And take the seeds out. Take the seeds out. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and you know, and also you, like I said, uh, you know, the jalapenos tend now to be pretty mild. Mm-hmm. And so I think you can use, uh, a jalapeno and even leave the seeds in. Mm-hmm. And it’s gonna be fine. But there are some tricks to, like, let’s say that you make a salsa.

And it’s too hot for you. Yeah. So one of the things that I found is that a 24 hours in the refrigerator knocks the heat down, like one notch. Okay. So even like when I make something really hot, um, when we were shooting the book, there was a, a, a team that was helping me like with all the food, and they were making the, the salsas for the next day, like, or the day before.

Then we would get on set and I would taste, I’m like, I don’t under like, did you put enough? Like how many jalapenos did you, how many? What did you put in there? And everything was consistently mild. Okay. I was like, I don’t understand. Like when I make it, it’s like super hot. Yeah. And you know what it was, is like the capsaicin starts to dissipate after 24 hours.

Oh, okay.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: So you can make something really spicy. If it’s too spicy, just put it in the fridge. Tomorrow it will be less spicy. Yeah. You can also stir in. Grandma. A table tablespoon of cre. Yeah. A tablespoon of olive oil. Mm-hmm. Or neutral oil. And that will coat your tongue. Right? Right. And it will keep the, the burn off of your tongue.

Right. Not sour cream. Not sour cream. There.

Mando Rayo: There’s a difference. I was a little scared. Yes. I like, yeah. CRE

Rick Martinez: is so much crema and creme freshs are so much better than So Oh cream. Yeah. That like it’s, you’re gonna get a lot more flavor. You’re gonna get a lot more cheese notes. And I found that.

Unfortunately here in sour cream there are a lot of gums and Guam. Yeah. And you know, just a lot of chemicals that, yeah, yeah,

Mando Rayo: yeah. No, no. Stay away from that. Yeah. So as I look through the book and I look at, through like the first few pages mm-hmm. I see you right there with your dog. You are a salsa daddy.

Did you see this? Oh yeah, look at you. Oh, nice. Yeah. Nice. So tell me about how your identity plays into, into who you are and what influenced you.

Rick Martinez: I mean, you know, like I, for me, I can’t separate anything. Yeah. Out, uh, you know, like my, my cooking, my life, my writing, everything is the sum of every experience I’ve ever had.

Mm-hmm. Right. So I grew up in Austin. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know, I’m a Texan. Mm-hmm. I lived in New York for 20 years. I now live in, in Mexico. Mm-hmm. All of those experiences make up what. What I, what I am. Mm-hmm. And I would never want to pull anything out or change it. Yeah. Because I, I’m very happy with the way that I am.

Right. Yeah. Like, I can, I am just as comfortable smoking a brisket for 18 hours Yeah. As I am making garena Ada as I am making, uh, New York style pizza. Yeah. You know, like, it’s, it’s all to me, it’s just. I love to eat. Yeah. It doesn’t matter what culture. Mm-hmm. Or who made it. It’s like, if it’s good, yeah. I will eat the whole thing.

Yeah. Yeah. And, and so, you know, like I just, I think that, um, you know, and, and like there are recipes in there that. A lot of recipes in there, they just don’t exist in Mexican cannon, like Right. Lana, that was, um, basically an ode to my father Yeah. Who grew pecans and peaches here in, in Austin. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. And because I have such good memories of my father and I, you know, picking the peaches in the summertime and, and walking the, he had like a, like a, a big field of pecan trees. Mm-hmm. And in, in the fall, right before Thanksgiving, he and I would walk the field and pick pecans and we would taste them and we would pick the ones that we wanted.

My mom didn’t make for the pecan pie mm-hmm. For Thanksgiving. And so I wanted to make that kind of like, as a tribute to him, Uhhuh. And, um, I had no idea if it was gonna work. Like I’d never Yeah, yeah, yeah. A peach and pecan salsa that nobody, you know, that, that doesn’t exist. Um. But you know, to me it’s one of my favorite salsas in there.

Okay. ’cause you get like that little, I charred the peaches and so there’s a little bit of sweet but smoky. Mm-hmm. The pecans are toasted pretty hard. There’s banro. Mm-hmm. Uh, orange and lime and it, it’s great on, on granitas. So good pork. Oh yeah. But you know, like that, that recipe wouldn’t exist if I.

Wasn’t from here. Right, right, right. You know, if my dad didn’t grow things. Um, and so to me that’s the beauty of like, you know, having an i, I mean, not just me, but like anybody’s identity. Yeah. And like, and being proud of who you are. Right. And like every aspect of your life, Uhhuh. And then using that to like make something.

That you want to eat. Right. And I, and I think that that’s what I want to encourage people with this book. Mm-hmm. Is that like, regardless of what, where you came from or your culture, your identity, you know, pull up those, those memories and then just have fun and experiment.

Mando Rayo: Yeah. Yeah. No, that’s beautiful.

I think, you know, Mexicans living in the United States, whether you’re Mexican American or an immigrant, or you’re indigenous to the lands. Now we’re kind of seeing this idea that like, hey, it’s okay to feel proud of where we come from, and there’s always this term that they use that, but I love the opposite.

Yes. You know what I mean? Yes,

Rick Martinez: yes. Yeah. No, ’cause it’s, it’s very different. And I don’t think, like, I also think that people try and. They wanna identify with a group Uhhuh, especially now they want to like, oh, you’re in that group and you’re in this group, or whatever, Uhhuh. And it’s like, no, no, no. I’m, I’m me.

Yeah. Right. Nobody’s like me, and that’s totally fine. I would ra you know, like I, I’m gonna live in the space that I. You know, occupy mm-hmm. That I’ve occupied for 50 years. Right. And I’m fine with that. Yeah. You know, and, and I wanna know about your life and where you came from and, and what space you occupy.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: And I think that’s, that to me is the beauty of, of like diversity, you know? ’cause like we’re both Mexican American. Mm-hmm. But you have a very different life than me. Yeah. But, you know, we can like tell great stories. Mm-hmm. We can cook amazing food.

Mando Rayo: Yeah.

Rick Martinez: You know, and even again, we can cook the same thing, but then it’ll be completely different.

It’ll be different too. Yeah. I, I want people to be fearless. I, I wanna also break this idea that there are rules, right. So, you know, there are certain things, there are probably like 25% of the recipes are actually like recipes that exist in Mexico.

Mando Rayo: Mm-hmm.

Rick Martinez: So, you know, like, uh, uh, Pico de Gallo. Apic, which I love.

I love that, that name. Uh, which means dog’s nose because it’s so hot. It’s made with Albans that your, your nose will run like dogs. Yeah. Sorry. Run like, yeah. Um, and you know, so those recipes. Are kind of my take on that Uhhuh, but those are, those exist in Mexico. Mm-hmm. And then the others I just like had fun with.

Yeah. You know, and, and to me, like writing the book was fun because, you know, like there’s a, a, a cucumber salsa in there. Mm-hmm. That. The reason why it exists is because I had a half of a giant cucumber in my refrigerator one day. Mm-hmm. And I was like, I’m not gonna use this. And so I need to get rid of it.

And so those things wouldn’t exist if I lived in this world where like there is a right way to do guacamole and the right way to do salsa and, right, right. And here are all the, you know, here are the. Hundred correct. Ways to do must have. Yeah. You know, and it’s like nobody cooks like that, you know?

Mando Rayo: Yeah, for sure.

For sure. Awesome, awesome. Will, is there anything you’d like to share that you’d like to kind of tell our, our listeners about your book or what to look for coming up next for you?

Rick Martinez: Well, I think what I want to share the most is, um, having gone on tour and like, talked to a lot of people, especially Mexican Americans.

Mm-hmm. You know, I feel like. We need to be proud mm-hmm. Of our identity. Like, regardless of like, whether we, you know, like my family came, my grandparents came from, uh, Monterey and Toon. Mm-hmm. Right. But that was like literally 125 years ago. Yeah. Um. And whether you’re first, second, third generation, whether, you know, you’re like half Mexican, half Cuban, whatever it is.

Yeah. Be proud and celebrate and, and learn about it. Right. I think, you know, one of the things that I see a lot now for, especially like on TikTok and, and influencers mm-hmm. You know, a lot of the food. That is getting like the views and the likes Sure. Is becoming very similar to like, you know, Midwestern, honestly, like Yeah.

White people. Yeah. You know, it’s like, oh, a block of cream cheese, a can of this and a, you know, it’s like processed and it’s blended. I invented a flat taco. Oh, this flatbread is so good. And, and it’s like. I mean, fine eat that too. But you know, like, like be proud of who you are and celebrate all the sides of your culture.

Mm-hmm. Like whatever, you know, Texan, Mexican, whatever it is. Just like be proud of it and, and, and cook that. Mm-hmm. Um, cook the things that make you happy. Cook the things that are like inside of you. Yeah. And I just feel like when you do that. You feel better, your food is better. People like it. You’re happier.

You’re making people happy with that food. Yeah, yeah,

Mando Rayo: yeah. Right. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful. Well, Rick, it’s been such great, you know, it is been a few years since we got together. Yeah. So I, I was excited that you are gonna be in town and you’re gonna be on the podcast. I really appreciate it. I, I love everything that you’re doing and love your story and your journey.

Rick Martinez: Thank you so much and when you’re in Lan, come see me. I will. Or Mexico. Well, I’ll meet you. You, you

Mando Rayo: don’t tell a Mexican to come over because he’ll bring all the family. Oh yeah, no, do it, do it. Oh my God. The shrimp so good. Okay. Okay. I’m ready. Okay.

Ooh, that was some good salsa we just had with Chef Rick Martinez, uh, author of his latest book Salsa Daddy. That’s right. He is a salsa daddy. I was honored to have him. Uh, and reconnect with him here on the podcast and you know, just kind of what he shared. It’s about trying new things, especially through salsas.

You know, start with some of the recipes, but make it your own right. And also it’s this idea of like, you can be proud of who you are and you can be proud of your identity and really. Explore what that means for you and have joy and fun with your cooking. So with that, I just want to thank, uh, again, chef, uh, Rick Martinez, uh, for being on the show.

Now. I usually do RIA shouts, but today I’m shouting at the salsas. My favorite Taketa salsa, jalapeno aste, awa salad, simple a salsa, matcha, thick and oil. Nutty, earthy with dried chilies, and of course a classic. The mote when the roasted garlic. Onion and kilis are crushed to perfection. This has been the Tacos of Texas Podcast developed and produced by Identity Productions.

If you enjoyed today’s the episode and are craving more taco content, go to our website at www dot identity productions or follow us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube at Identity Productions and United Tacos of America. And remember, you can watch the full episodes on our YouTube channel at Identity Production.

This is your host, Mando El Taco journalist Rayo Tacos

on the next Proximo Tacos of Texas, a primer into the Michelin Guide and how tacos took. Over the list in Texas with Chef Edgar Rico from Nick Satia.

Louise Van Assche: The Tacos of Texas podcast is presented by identity Productions in partnership with KUT and KOTX studios. Our host and producer is Mando. Our audio is mixed by Nicholas Worden.

Our story producer is me, Louisa, and our creative producer is Dennis Burnett. Music was created by OSA in Austin, Texas. And King Benny Productions located in the Quinto Barrio of Houston.