Restaurant-style Homemade Salsa recipe, ready in blender or food processor in few minutes. Warm corn tortilla chips, and fill a bowl of this refreshing red salsa because this party-perfect snack is calling "game day"!
This Salsa recipe can be made ahead up-to a week.Make a double batch as it goes away fast.(recipe doubles easily)
Let's make Salsa today!
RESTAURANT-STYLE RED SALSA
This salsa recipe isrestaurant-style red salsa. The same salsa that is served table-side at most Mexican restaurants.
Refreshing Red Salsa and the fragrance of warm corn tortillas chips transport me to a local Mexican Restaurant in San Diego, CA. Their salsa and chips were my favorite. They serve a big bow of warm tortilla chips and two kind of salsa on-the-house - red salsa and white salsa. This recipe is my version of that red salsa for you. I hope to try and replicate their White Salsa some day and share with you.
Oh, this reminds me. Recently, we found one new local Mexican restaurant in Bay Area (our new home town). they have a Salsa Bar! Every-time, I go there, I'm eating salsa chip-full to understand the taste. So that I can share new recipes with you. A lot more Salsa to make to CDH. Stay tuned!
HOW TO MAKE SALSA?
Making a good restaurant-style salsa at home is very easy. All you need is a blender or food processor, andquintessential pantry-staple salsa ingredients.
- Peeled Tomatoes packed in juice.
- White Onion
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
- Lime Juice
- Vinegar
- Seasoning
- Cumin (my secret ingredient)
Add these ingredients (as detailed in Recipe Card) in blender or food processor, pulse until coarsely processed. Adjust seasoning to taste and you have it. The best salsa ever!
A good salsa is all about the right balance of salt, sour, heat and flavor. To achieve this balance of flavor, I make few changes to salsa:
- Using canned tomatoes instead of fresh. Canned peeled tomatoes with juice give amazing depth of flavor to salsa.
- Use White Onion instead of red. Red onion are very sharp. White onion are mild and add just right amount of onion flavor without sharpness of red onion.
- Toasted Cumin Powder. This ingredient you will not find in any other recipe. Freshly toasted cumin seeds powder give salsa a depth of flavor you will not find in store-bought salsa.
SALSA HEAT
This Salsa recipe is mild-medium heat salsa. But you can control the heat in salsa with adjustment of one ingredient i.e. Chili Pepper. Chili peppers are the signature flavor and quintessential ingredient of a Mexican Salsa recipe. Peppers such as Jalapeno, Serrano, Chipotle add flavor and heat to the salsa. I have used Jalapeno in this recipe without seeds which adds just right amount of pepper flavor and heat.Serrano is hotter than Jalapeno.
Chipotle has mild heat and smokey flavor. If you like heat and smoky salsa, try my Hot Chipotle Salsa recipe. Or try my mild fresh ingredient salsa Pico De Gallorecipe.
You can also make this low or high in heat with adjustment of amount and kind of chili pepper. I recommend:
1. Medium Heat - 1 Jalapeno, seedless
2. Medium-high - 1 Serrano with seeds
3. High Heat - 2 Serrano or 1 Jalapeno and 1 Serrano
RED ONION vs WHITE ONION
Any day I'll prefer Red Onion in my salsa over white onion. But for quick salsa such as this Blender Salsa, red onion makes it very sharp. White Onion is a mild onion and it does not overpower the freshness of salsa. So I recommend stick to recipe ingredients and use white onion or check-out following tips to use red onion.
To use Red Onion, you can either:
a) Small dice red onion and add to salsa after blender it. Refrigerate for at-least 30 minutes for onion to mellow-down and flavor to marry.
b) Or Add only a tbsp of red onion instead of 1/4 of onion. Add to blender after salsa has been blender. Quick pulse to combine. Refrigerate for at-least 30 minutes for onion to mellow-down and flavor to marry.
Note: If using yellow onion, omit sugar used in recipe.
Friends, chips and salsa are made for each other. Make a double batch of salsa at home (recipe doubles easily). Bring corn tortillas chips and enjoy Super Bowl game on 3rd February.
49ers vs Chiefs!! Who do you think is going to take home the Super Bowl?
Oh, and don't forget to warm the chips in microwave/oven for best chips and salsa experience ever!
FAQs
A unique blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice contributes to the vibrant, lively taste of restaurant-style salsa.
Is vinegar or lemon juice better for canning salsa? ›
Acidic Ingredients
Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar and has less effect on flavor. You can safely substitute an equal amount of bottled lemon juice for vinegar in salsa recipes using vinegar. However, do not substitute vinegar for lemon juice because this would reduce acidity and produce an unsafe product.
What is salsa usually made of? ›
Salsa roja or “red salsa” usually includes cooked red tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers. Pico de gallo is a popular form of uncooked salsa made from lime juice and coarsely chopped raw ingredients including tomatoes, onions, and cilantro leaves.
Why does my salsa have no taste? ›
Blandness usually comes from lack of seasoning. When you prepare a dish like spaghetti sauce you want to season as you go, not just at the end. Salt enhances the flavor of foods as well as performs some important functions during cooking, like drawing moisture out of ingredients and intensifying their flavor.
What brand salsa do most Mexican restaurants use? ›
What Chefs Look For In A Jarred Salsa
- Herdez Mild Guacamole Salsa.
- La Costeña Medium Home Style Mexican Salsa.
- Herdez Roasted Poblano Salsa Cremosa.
- Tostitos Medium Salsa.
- Mission Medium Chunky Salsa.
By far, salsa roja is the most popular Mexican salsa, and after a bite, it is not hard to see why. Different chefs will often vary the amount of heat by adjusting how much and what kind of chilis are added to the mix.
How much vinegar do I put in a gallon of salsa? ›
on jars during processing, add ¼ cup vinegar per gallon of water used in the canner. Select tomatoes, peppers, spices, and onions. Always use fresh, firm, ripe tomatoes.
How much vinegar do you put in a jar of salsa? ›
| Add one of the following for acidification: | Pint Jars | Quart Jars |
|---|
| Vinegar (5 percent acidity) | 2 tablespoons | 4 tablespoons |
| *Add acid directly to the jars before filling with tomatoes. If desired, add up to 1 tablespoon of sugar per quart to offset acidic taste. Vinegar may cause undesirable flavor changes. |
2 more rowsAug 11, 2020
The vinegar is acidic, so presumably it's part of bringing the pH to a safe one for boiling water canning. Without it, the salsa won't be safe to can like this. If you realize right away and recan immediately, it's basically just cooking it extra. It may not be as good with the extra cooking, but it'll be safe.
What are the best tomatoes for salsa? ›
Roma Tomatoes are a popular choice for salsa-making due to their dense and meaty texture, small number of seeds, and full-of-flavor tanginess. Variations of this tomato are sometimes called “plum” or “paste” tomatoes. Red Beefsteak Tomatoes are another favorite for those who favor a juicier tomato in their salsa.
Officially, the familiar Mexican type of salsa is called salsa picante, or "spicy sauce" in Spanish. In fact, salsa — which is rooted in the Latin salsa, "salty food" or "condiment" — means "sauce" in both Spanish and Italian.
What gives salsa more flavor? ›
Cook the salsa, and you'll trade bright, fresh flavors for something deeper, sweeter. Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and/or chiles creates rich, smoky flavors. 3. Layer in flavor, color, and texture with bell peppers, jicama, radishes, fresh corn kernels, avocado, or black beans.
Why is my homemade salsa bland? ›
Using the wrong amount of salt
Add too much salt to your salsa and it's all you can taste. Add too little and the veggies and herbs can come across as a little bland.
What can I add to my salsa to make it taste better? ›
What can I add to salsa for more flavor?
- Lime or lemon for a zip of citrus.
- Cilantro for a pleasantly herbaceous tang.
- Onions because you know everything's better with onions.
- Roasted tomatoes, peppers, or garlic because roasting anything provides a smoky flavor that we love.
Unlike jarred or canned salsa, restaurant salsa is essentially small-batch, freshly made salsa. These establishments have access to high-quality ingredients and equipment to streamline the salsa-making process and ensure a consistent product.
Is Mexican restaurant salsa healthy? ›
While salsa is unquestionably healthy, there is one potential drawback to the food - many commercially-made varieties are high in sodium. The suggested daily limit of sodium sits at 2300 mg by the FDA, and prepared salsas generally contain between 90-270 mg per two-tablespoon serving, which can add up pretty quickly.
What is the difference between restaurant-style salsa? ›
Compared to regular ol' salsa or something like pico de gallo, restaurant-style salsa is usually smoother—just how I like it! It's blended up in a food processor so that all the pieces get minced really finely. This is no place for big chunks of tomatoes, man.
What is the difference between cantina style and restaurant-style salsa? ›
I've found restaurant style to be less salty and slightly thicker than cantina, best with salsa or in nachos. Whereas cantina is thinner, crunchier, and salty, best for snacking.
