Salsa is a type of Mexican sauce which is sometimes served as dip, garnishing and topping for other meals or eaten alone as coleslaw. Salsa varies in flavour, texture and ingredients, some salsa sauces are fruity, smooth, thick, or chunky blended or smooth in consistency, while some are very hot or mildly hot.
Salsa is a type of uncooked, sometimes cooked sauce which is prepared with chopped tomatoes, onions, chilli peppers, fresh coriander (cilantro) and some other spices. Salsa is a sauce which is often used as substitute to ketchup; it is used as dip for varieties of foods and chips. Fresh tomato acts as the base for salsa sauce. Salsa sauce can be made into spicy or mild spicy sauce. There are many varieties of salsa and there are some salsas ingredients that are not really related to salsa sauce, still people make them using these ingredients. These types of salsas are as follows:
- Mango salsa
- Pineapple salsa
- Creamy avocado salsa
- Sweet corn salsa
- Carrot salsa and so on and so forth. The above listed salsas are usually prepared with the combination of different things like onions, paprika, smoked bell chillies, olive oil, ground cumin, garlic, and cilantro (coriander), among other ingredients, however; the main ingredients in such combination would be the mentioned salsas. Some other salsas are prepared with mint, basils, and some with hot spices.
There two ways of preparing salsa sauce, you can decide to use canned tomato or fresh tomatoes for your salsa.
- Canned tomatoes salsa is usually prepared by blending thick tomato paste with hot bell chillies, chopped onions, garlic and lime juice together in a blender and then garnished with lime juice and chopped fresh coriander. This type of salsa is mostly found in Mexican restaurants and it is used as dip for tortilla chips, roasted meat, among other foods
- Fresh tomato salsa is prepared with fresh ingredients coarsely chopped into tiny pieces and most times blended into smooth paste; it looks more likefruit salad in appearance, but has a different taste entirely since it is spicy and zesty in taste. This kind of salsa is often called “Pico de gallo” (rooster beak) or “el salsa fresco” , which is interpreted as fresh sauce in Mexico . It is used also for filling in corn or flour tortillas and for toppingtacos, and chicken enchilada; it can also be served alongside with black beans or eaten as main meal. Tomatoes salsa is best eaten after it has been chilled and garnished with lime juice.
Table of Contents
Salsas are categorized into two methods
- Raw salsa (salsa cruda)- This type of salsa sauce is prepared by combining all the fresh ingredients like tomatoes, onions, chillies and coriander together to serve, without it being cooked.
- Fresh salsa (salsa verde) – This is the type of salsa sauce that is usually cooked before being served.
How to serve salsa
Salas are usually used as dip for tortillas, breads and tacos. And also, the sauce is sometimes poured over boiled egg, boiled potatoes, grilled fish, and chicken and as seafood stew and it is used as topping for enchiladas casserole.
Tomato salsa ingredients
- 5 plum tomatoes
- 3 fresh green chillies
- 1 medium white or red onion
- 2 limes together with the tiny lime zest
- 1 bunch fresh coriander
- 1 teaspoon sugar(optional)
- teaspoon salt
Ingredients for tomato salsa
Steps on how to make fresh tomato salsa
- Bring tomatoes into a bowl pour hot water over the tomatoes.
- Let them swim in the water for 20-30 seconds for easy pilling.
- Remove the tomatoes into a bowl containing cold water. Cut the surface of the tomato and peel of the skin.
- Deseed and chop the tomatoes into tiny pieces and rest them in a salsa bowl
- Chop onions into a different bowl and press the lime juice together with it tiny zest into he onions; let the onions become soft inside of the lime juice and the raw flavour tame.
- Rinse and chop coriander and green chillies into smaller pieces and keep aside
- Bring the chopped tomatoes, coriander; chillies into the bowl containing onions add sugar and salt to taste.
- Toast the vegies together to combine, and squeeze the remaining lime juice over it for a more zesty flavour.
- Place the salsa in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill and for the flavour to combine before serving.
- Serve as main meal or as a topping or garnishing to tortilla or shredded chicken tacos.
Simple steps to make fresh tomato salsa at home
- Peel off the first layers of fresh tomatoes; this can be achieved by blanching the tomatoes in hot water for 30 seconds and immediately removing them in a bowl of cold water.
In blanching the tomatoes, you will be able to peel the skin off easily
Peeling of tomato skin for salsa
2. Decide whether you need the seed or not, dice the tomatoes into tiny pieces and place in an empty bowl.
Chopping of salsa vegetables. you can decide to blend the onion and tomatoes into chunky consistency for the salsa.
3. Chop onions too and squeeze lime juice over it to soak the onions for about 5 minutes.
4. Chop hot chillies, fresh coriander and keep aside too.
5. Bring all the chopped vegetables into the onion bowl; add sugar and salt and toast to combine
Toast the salsa until all the ingredients combine and place in the fridge to chill before serving.
6. Place the salsa in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavour to mingle before serving
7. Serve your tomato salsa chilled.
Tomato salsa is ready!