good salsa recipe needed

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My standard is a pico de gallo style:

1 yellow onion, finely chopped
8 roma tomatos, seeded and chopped
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaves finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lime
2tsp salt
Mexican hot sauce to taste (I usually do about 2tsp Tapatio)

Let it rest for a couple hours in the refrigerator so that the flavors can mingle. This recipe has always been a party hit.
 
I've found most of the salsas I like all have lots of cilantro, onion, and jalapeno and a little lime juice. Personally I haven't found decent tomatoes in the stores for a while.
 
Sorry, here's not what you are looking for, but the best salsa I've made (I've made a few!) is mostly tomatillos. I've made it several times. It is limey, not your typical salsa. My kids love it, also. Not spicey, but you can add chopped jalapenos to taste (I add a couple).

tomatillos7.jpg


tomatillo_salso.jpg
 
I use:
6-8 Roma tomatoes
1-2 jalapeños
2 Anaheim peppers
1/2 medium yellow onion
2+ cloves of garlic
fresh key lime juice from 2-3 limes (or juice 1 regular lime)
fresh chopped cilantro
I use granulated chicken bullion (instead of salt to taste) about 1 tbsp
fresh cracked black pepper
1 shot of tequila
chop everything up, mix together and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors blend together, the next day it is even better!
 
do you need a proper recipe or just ingredients list?

process, yeah. what I've been doing is:

6-8 romas
2-3 serrano

quick boil on those, then add to blender with
few garlic cloves
onion

whip that up, then put the mess in a pan and reduce until desired consistancy.

it's ok, not great.
 
I use:
6-8 Roma tomatoes
1-2 jalapeños
2 Anaheim peppers
1/2 medium yellow onion
2+ cloves of garlic
fresh key lime juice from 2-3 limes (or juice 1 regular lime)
fresh chopped cilantro
I use granulated chicken bullion (instead of salt to taste) about 1 tbsp
fresh cracked black pepper
1 shot of tequila
chop everything up, mix together and refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors blend together, the next day it is even better!

This is pretty much my recipe except I typically use white onion, and one other change with the way I do the garlic. You can get away with using less garlic if instead mincing or using a garlic crusher you chop it up and then grind it in into a paste using a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt tossed in there to make things easier. You end up with an extremely aromatic and almost sweet flavor that doesn't really come out if you do it the other way.

Also you cannot overemphasize the last part enough. It's important that you give it time for the flavors to meld. I mean, it tastes good right after you make it, but sooo much better if you wait.


whip that up, then put the mess in a pan and reduce until desired consistancy.

it's ok, not great.

I bet you'd like it better if you stopped cooking it. At least, I know I do.
 
I don't blend or cook mine, I prefer the fresh flavors of the raw veggies, I use the pampered chef version of the slap chop thingy to do my chopping, I knife mince the garlic and jalapeños very fine instead of using the chopper.
 
I have been doing the paste thing with the garlic lately as well, I have been using a kitchen tool, it is just a flat stainless thing with one end curled over to use as a handle, it looks like a dough blade, and works great for making garlic paste, as well as scooping up the chopped veggies.
 
This is the easiest and best salsa I have ever had.

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes 28oz? i think
1 bunch cilantro
1 white onion diced
2 limes
3-5 canned serrano chilies (Depending on how much heat you like)
salt to taste

Blend the tomatoes and chilies in a blender until smooth then add in the other ingredients chopped. Add the juice from both limes and add some salt. This salsa recipe benefits from an hour or so in the fridge but it is AWESOME and super easy!
 
What I do.......

Dice 6 - 10 Roma Tomatoes
Dice 1/4 cup Cilantro
Dice 1/4 cup Yellow or White Onion
Mince 1 - 2 Cloves Fresh Garlic
Mince 1 - 2 Fire Roasted Jalapino Peppers (remove seeds)
Juice one Lime and 1/2 Lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
Stir in 3 oz (1/2 6 oz can) Hunt's Tomato Paste
Add Tapatio Hot Sauce to taste
 
Are you looking for a cooked or fresh salsa? Do you want it really chunky or more of a purred like el paso jarred stuff?
 
Do you want it really chunky or more of a purred like el paso jarred stuff?
That's what I was wondering but as I read these recipes I realized that it's probably just a matter of how much you puree it. At one end of the spectrum it's just pico de gallo (which is just fine for me) but if I'm making salsa I want it more smooth.
 
I eat a lot of Salsa sometimes so I was looking for a really tasty but not super expensive salsa to make so my friend who learned from a real Mexican self-proclaimed "salsa master" e-mailed me this recipie. The salsa is REALLY good if you use fresh tomatoes but that makes it much more expensive. Also he likes it REALLY hot so its a very hot salsa. Read it over, its a really good starting point to branch out from: K, I do it all in a blender.

Step one,

Throw a 15 oz (normal can) of tomato sauce in the blender. Actually I end up taking out a few table spoons based on the size of my blender, but the idea is the same.

I use around 4-6 cloves of garlic, 4-6 habaneros, and 1 or 2 serranos.

Add garlic and peppers and blend (clean them and just toss them in). Once blended thoroughly, go to step two.

Step two,

Add spices.

I use a teaspoon of salt, a few dash of cumin, a dash of chili powder, dash of cayenne, a few sprinkles of paprika, and squeeze a whole lime in there. The salt and cumin are essential, you can tweak the others to taste. But don't throw in too much spice. You can tweak later if it needs more of anything.

Throw some tomatoes on top and blend.

I use a 28 oz (1 lb) can of diced tomatoes. At this point, just throw enough on there to blend up the spices and a few tomatoes.

When that's blended:

Step three,

Grab a generous portion of cilantro, wash and stick in the blender. This is why it's important to have enough sauce/blended tomatoes done first so the cilantro will blend. I use a pretty good handful of cilantro and this is what gives it the green color. So I use a lot, but experiment of course.

Blend again that down. Than add most of the rest of the can of diced tomatoes, but don't fill the blender. Blend everything good again, and then give it a taste test before adding the rest of the can/filling the blender.

If it needs more salt or more peppers, add more. If not, add the rest of the tomatoes (don't overflow the blender) and do a few final blends so everything is good and mixed.

That's it. Of course you'll want to chill before eating, but that's the general idea. Of course tweak to your hearts content and don't despair if your first batch comes out not so good. It takes time and experiment to get your own version to your own taste. You can always use real tomatoes (I have done this before when I was single and richer) and add other things like onions. Just try and see what works for you. The key according to Master Pedro (who taught me) is the peppers, tomatoes, and cumin. Just be careful with the cumin and don't over do it. It's not good! :)
 
I've made this for years, and passed it on to my sons- mostly during summer, when everything is in season:

3-4 lbs Roma tomatoes
1 large yellow onion chopped
3-4 chopped green onions - with tops
1 green pepper chopped (I've used poblano as a substitute)
3-4 tomatillos chopped
3 large cloves of garlic minced
3 jalopenos finely chopped
3 yellow banana peppers finely chopped
about 1-2 cups of chopped cilantro - packed
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon of tabasco
Then add more tomatoes if the salsa looks like it need more.

It usually needs to sit - refrigerated - overnight. If necessary, add more hot peppers if required.
 
R8rPhans mountain red grape salsa...

This started out as a question on how to make salsa I posed to a friend of mine who is a former head chef at a very famous restaurant (no name dropping, sorry), and got modified by yours truly over time to suit 'my' tastes..

It's a bit of work, but I find it worth it.. your mileage may vary..

I make huge batches of this and feed on it for days...

Sorry, you're gonna have to play with the amounts.. as I do it without measuring devices...

Equal parts of chopped fresh cilantro (leaves only, remove 'all' stems as the stems are 'bitter'), white onions, and tomato (not too juicy as this one will get pretty juicy before it's all said and done)

Figure about 4 cups of each.... guessing.. toss in a large bowl

peel and chop up most if not all of a fresh cucumber
dice and add one to two fresh jalapenos
peel and crush/chop a clove or two of fresh garlic
dice up some fresh red grapes and add... maybe a half or whole pound

quarter a fresh lime and squeeze into salsa (the acids from the lime will 'cook' the salsa for you)
throw away the rinds

Now wash your hands thoroughly..

Stick 'em in the bowl (you need a 'large' bowl for this salsa)

Start hand blending the salsa by 'squooshing' it through your fingers.. Do this for a while until it's thoroughly squooshed and blended....

Wash your hands again.. they're a mess now

Add 'real' sea salt to taste.. add, stir thoroughly, taste, repeat until it's 'right'... (you'll know'... It should be a bit 'salty')

Now add a can or two of El Mexicana (or similar brand) Salsa Chipotle... Stir thoroughly
The Chipotle adds moisture and gives a smokey, chili taste to the salsa.. Very interesting compliment to the grapes..

Leave out on the counter covered for an hour or so at room temp to allow the ingredients to cook and blend and chemically interact... in sunlight is even better (of course the bowl and cover should be transparent enough to let sunlight at the salsa, otherwise the whole sun thing would be pointless...)

Eat immediately.. Fresh salsa has no preservatives and is meant to be consumed right away.. The ingredients start to break down right away, usually the taste has degraded significantly overnight.. even in the fridge.. This is not to say that it will not still be good.. but it will become watery, start loosing it's distinct flavors, and be no where near 'as' good...

You're gonna have to experiment with this one to get the amounts of things to 'your' liking.. but it will be worth it.. By your third or fourth batch, you will be completely addicted...

It's especially good on BBQ'd lemon chicken tacos

Enjoy!
:mug:
 
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