North America → Guatemala → Sacatepéquez (Antigua)
🥔 SIDE
Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa)
Tomatoes charred over a flame until blistered and soft, chopped with their skins and mixed with onion, fresh mint, cilantro, lime and salt, the salsa that goes beside every Guatemalan grill.
Guatemalan · easy · serves 6
prep 10 min · cook 15 min
~28 cal · 1g protein · 6g carbs · 0g fat · 2g fiber · 4g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Chirmol is the classic tomato salsa of Guatemala, and it is always on the table when meat is grilled. A Guatemalan churrasco, the Sunday barbecue, is carne asada con chirmol, with guacamol, grilled corn, refried black beans and alongside, and the chirmol is spooned over the meat or scooped up with tortillas.
What sets it apart is fire and mint. The tomatoes are charred on the grill or in a dry pan until blackened in patches and completely soft, then chopped coarsely without peeling, so the salsa is smoky and loose. It is mixed with onion, lime juice, salt and cilantro and, as so often in Guatemalan cooking, a generous amount of fresh mint.
The name is often said to mean running nose, for its watery texture. Some cooks char an onion or a chile with the tomatoes, or mash everything in a stone molcajete; others keep it fresh and chunky.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 6
- 6 (about 700 g) ripe plum tomatoes
- 1/2 white or red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 serrano or jalapeño chile, charred and chopped, optional
Instructions
- 1Char the tomatoes, and the chile if using, on a hot grill or in a dry cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, turning now and then, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the skins are blistered and blackened in patches and the tomatoes are soft right through.
- 2Let them cool for a few minutes, cut out the cores and chop the tomatoes coarsely, skins and all, keeping their juice.✎ Chef’s noteLeave the charred skin on; it is where the smoky flavour is.
- 3Mix the tomatoes with the onion, mint, cilantro, lime juice, salt and chile. Taste and adjust the salt and lime.
- 4Serve at room temperature beside grilled meat, with tortillas. It is best the day it is made.
Guatemalan tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Sacatepéquez (Antigua). Sacatepequez is colonial Antigua under its volcanoes, where pepian, a stew thickened with toasted seeds and dried chiles, is cooked for saints' days and family gatherings. Corn tortillas, black beans, and tamales wrapped in banana leaf are the everyday foundation.
🗺️
Guatemala. Guatemalan food rests on Maya foundations, corn tortillas, black beans, and rich stews called recados like pepián and jocón. Chiles, tomatoes, and pumpkin seeds thicken a deeply Indigenous, comforting table.
🌍
North America. The most consequential technique on this continent is nixtamalisation, cooking maize with lime or wood ash. It loosens the skins, makes the dough that becomes tortillas and tamales, and frees up niacin the body cannot otherwise absorb, which is why maize spread around the world without the technique and took pellagra with it.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Guatemala
Pepián de PolloChicken in a deep, toasty sauce of charred tomatoes, chiles, and ground seeds, Guatemala’s Mayan-rooted national stew.
Desayuno ChapínThe full Guatemalan breakfast plate: eggs, soupy black beans, fried sweet plantain, fresh cream, and warm corn tortillas.
Tostadas GuatemaltecasCrisp fried tortillas topped three ways, with guacamole, tomato salsa, or black beans, a light Guatemalan street lunch.
Browse all Guatemala recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Grill or barbecue.
Storing it: Best straight off the heat. Leftovers keep 2 to 3 days refrigerated and reheat well in a hot oven rather than the microwave.
Make it a Guatemala meal
Atol de EloteDrink
Rellenitos de PlátanoDessert
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Frequently asked questions
What is Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa)?
Tomatoes charred over a flame until blistered and soft, chopped with their skins and mixed with onion, fresh mint, cilantro, lime and salt, the salsa that goes beside every Guatemalan grill.
Where does Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) come from?
Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) is a Guatemalan dish from Sacatepéquez (Antigua), Guatemala.
Can Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Chirmol (Guatemalan Charred Tomato and Mint Salsa) take to make?
About 25 minutes total (10 minutes prep, 15 minutes cooking), serving 6.
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