Learn how to make many varieties of salsa starting with just a few basic guidelines.
For the base of your salsa, try: Tomatoes, tomatillos, Mangos or papaya, peaches or plums, pineapple and cucumber.
For flavor, color and texture, add: Bell peppers, jicama, radishes, fresh corn kernels, avocado, black beans, mint, basil or parsley
Some people consider it a condiment, but the salsa devotees of the world would most definitely call it a food.
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
- 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.
