Some people consider it a condiment, but the salsa devotees of the world would most definitely call it a food.
Salsa Basics
The beauty of salsa is its versatility and adaptability. At its most basic, salsa contains chopped or pureed tomatoes, chiles, onions, and cilantro, flavored with salt and a squeeze of lime juice. But you can play with techniques and try as many different combinations of fruits and vegetables, chiles and herbs as you can possibly dream up.
- Leaving everything raw will result in a salsa with a bright, refreshing taste. Raw salsa is also known as "salsa cruda."
- Roasting the tomatoes, garlic and/or chiles first will lend a rich, smoky flavor to your finished dish. If you cook the salsa, you'll trade in the fresh taste for a deeper, sweeter one.
Salsa Shortcuts
Many people hesitate to make salsa because it involves lots of time-consuming chopping. A little chopping is unavoidable, but if you've got a food processor, you can use it to puree half or all of the tomatoes in your recipe (many people prefer to keep some of the tomatoes chunky).
- A food processor can also make short work of herbs and garlic; you should toss these ingredients into the processor before you add the tomatoes.
- For most other ingredients, it's better to chop them by hand so you have more control over the size and shape of the pieces--and the finished product will look nicer.
- Do dice the onion by hand: food processors tend to pulverize the onion, releasing so much juice that the flavor becomes overpowering.
For a little extra help, check out our Photo Tutorials on Seeding Tomatoes, Dicing Tomatoes, and Dicing Onions.
If it tastes good, do it!
The herb you'll find in most salsas is cilantro, but don't be afraid to play around.
- Parsley, mint, basil and oregano all taste exceptional when mixed with fresh vegetables and fruits.
- In the chile department, you are only as limited as the selection available at your local grocery store or farmers' market.
- Set the tomatoes aside and use some other fruit or vegetable instead.
- To achieve a balance sweet, savory, salty, sour and spicy flavors, add salt, lime juice or vinegar, bottled hot sauce and pinches of sugar, tasting intermittently, until you achieve that perfect mix.
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