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Restaurant Quality Salsa Without The Expense

posted June 16, 2008 - 4:08am
Restaurant Quality Salsa Without The Expense

There's just something about salsa that makes me positively giddy. I've always been a chips and salsa type of girl but can't stand the flavor of store bought salsa. Nothing can compare to the taste of fresh, homemade salsa. My favorite little hole in the wall, family owned Mexican Restaurant has the best salsa I've ever had the pleasure of placing upon my taste buds. After years of frequenting this place and many oohs and aahs later, I finally worked up the courage to ask for the recipe. It was a case of ask and you shall receive. So, without further ado, I'm going to share the recipe with you.

2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Jalapeno, seeded
1/4 Cup cilantro

DIRECTIONS
Place all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on low 10-30 seconds depending on the desired consistency. While it tastes great right away, you get the best flavor if you make it up in the morning or the night before. When you're ready to eat, grab your favorite tortilla chips, a bottle of Tacate (or whatever your favorite Cerveza may be) and enjoy.



Comments

Quite Welcome Mr. B

The thing that is so great about this recipe is it's easy, tastes great and you can easily vary it to suit your own tastes. If you like more garlic go ahead and add it. If you don't like cilantro as much, use less (I've even used more than called for because I love cilantro). It's just very adaptable. Just remember to try to make it up a few hours ahead of time so the flavors can blend.

Thanks SS!

I've been dying for a good salsa recipe! I will try it undrained first, then drained if I'm not happy. And finally with the fresh but I like it to be easy. Thanks again!

mrbronco's Xombyte

Salsa Questions....

I would assume that if you like your salsa thinner, then it would certainly be ok to not drain the tomatoes. I never have, but I don't see why you couldn't. You would just end up with watery salsa, which is what you want anyway. I always use vidalia onions, but that my personal preference. As for using fresh tomatoes, by all means feel free to do so. I have from time to time. But, to be honest, it's actually better tasting using the canned. The recipe above, is pretty much the same salsa I grew up on in Mesa and it's almost exactly like the salsa we used to get when I was living in San Jose, Sonora, Mexico. Seriously give it a try using fresh and canned tomatoes and see which you prefer. Now, were I making pico de gallo, there's absolutley no question about it, you have got to use fresh tomatoes, preferably roma's. The difference is pico de gallo is more of relish than salsa.

Fresh salsa

I don't know the answers to your questions, mrbronco, but one change I would make in this recipe is to use FRESH tomatoes instead of canned. To me, canned tomatoes are just not going to give a really 'fresh' taste. Another way to make salsa (which may give a more watery consistency) is to finely chop the tomatoes rather than using a food processor, and to use Roma tomatoes. Some restaurants serve this type of chopped-tomato salsa; others use the blended/food processed type. And there are probably a million variations of each.

Salsa Questions

This sounds great but I have 2 questions. Do you need to drain the tomatoes? I sometimes like the salsa a little watery. And what kind of onion works best? Thanks!

mrbronco's Xombyte

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