The Best and Freshest Authentic Salsa Recipe
September 19, 2024
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Fresh and easy chunky salsa recipe.
This authentic salsa recipe is a staple in our home. Not only because it's so
fresh and delicious, but because it's a recipe my late father-in-law passed
down to us.
He grew up in Mexico and loved to cook for his loved ones. So much so, that
once a year we would invite our friends over and he would cook for the huge
group.
If a brave soul dared to help prep...they were subject to my father-in-law's
scrutiny while they chopped or mixed. ;)
He was a stickler about his cooking and rightly so...every single thing he
made was absolutely delicious and authentic. He could be intimidating at
first, but was a big softie at heart and cooking for family and friends filled
him with joy!
Thankfully this is one of the recipes he handed down to us. I'm sure it's
pretty standard as far as salsa recipes are concerned, but it's special to us
because it brings back such happy memories when we make it:
This quick salsa recipe is easy and so flavorful!
Here's my mild version of his salsa:
Fresh Salsa Recipe
Five roma tomatoes
Half of a small red onion
One clove garlic
Juice from half of a lime
1/4 cup of cilantro
Half of Serrano pepper (seeds removed)
Half of jalapeño pepper (seeds removed)
Salt to taste
He always made two versions -- a mild one like this and a HOT one that very few dared to try. Ha!
This is one of those dishes that you have to play around with to make it just
how you like it. Certain ingredients will vary depending on your taste.
I like a lot of cilantro and just a little bit of heat from the peppers, so
that's what I'm sharing today.
I prefer to use Roma tomatoes in this salsa -- I start by quartering all of my
tomatoes:
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I cut them up just a bit so my chopper can make easy work of dicing them
up:
Is there anything better than a juicy red tomato?
I LOVE
this vegetable chopper! I use it all the time for salads that need small, diced ingredients. The
chopper has a few different blade options, but I use the super fine insert for
this salsa.
It makes cutting up the veggies VERY easy and quick:
I used it cut up the tomatoes, red onion, garlic and peppers in this recipe.
I'm sure my father-in-law would have side-eyed me for using this chopping
tool, but I think he secretly would have liked it if he tried it. ;)
After all the dicing is done I add a good amount of chopped cilantro, juice from a half a lime and then some salt:
These
sea salt flakes
are my favorite. I use them in so many dishes!
My husband likes his salsa chunkier like pico de gallo, but I prefer it a
little more thinned out like traditional salsa. I use a meat tenderizer to get
it between the two:
This helps to combine all of the flavors together even more.
No matter how you like it, this salsa is so fresh
and so good!
As I mentioned, this can all be adjusted to your taste. I suggest starting
with the basics and then mixing in more of the peppers, cilantro and salt to
see how you like it.
Do you have one of these choppers? They make quick work of these kinds of recipes!
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I have one like this, an as seen on TV dicer, and it is a life saver when it comes to doing something with all of the onions I get out of my garden. It makes quick work of dicing them all up.
ReplyDeleteWilliams Sonoma actually makes a version of this but it's larger and I'm going out on a limb and say the blades are sharper, my husband bought it, he's a huge gadget guy, he loves it, and I will admit it works great!! I'm a weirdo because I love cutting veggies and fruits by hand for some reason it's calming to me, I always volunteer to do the cutting for big family get togethers! Thanks for the salsa recipe, I'm going try it out this weekend with the family!!
ReplyDeleteI find it calming also and really enjoy it if I can take my time, so I don't think you're a weirdo ;)
DeleteTry the Progressive chopper. It's awesome! :) http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-GPC-4000-Vegetable-Chopper/dp/B000F9JP3O love reading your blog! :)
ReplyDeleteWe have had the Vidalia Onion Chopper for the last 8 years or so. It looks like a precursor to this gadget. It is the most used tool in our kitchen. I love how easy it makes it to chop onions, tomatoes, etc... and then for the most part it goes straight in the washer... best tool ever. You can usually half a small tomato or quarter it and chop it... cut side down.
ReplyDeleteI have something similar, but it seems like it might be sturdier and I'm obsessed with it! All I do is cut my onion/tomato in half and shove it through. And if I'm doing a lot it does become a little game with my son (he gets to step on it). I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tool for getting my onion, carrots and celery all the same size for soup - it just makes it look so nice ;) And no tears with the onions...totally worth it!
ReplyDeleteI am laughing so hard and shaking my head! I had a magic bullet back in the day, and it worked great but there were so many pieces it was easy to lose them! I now have a ninja and I love it! I have both the food processor and the blender (gift for mother's day).
ReplyDeleteI am married to a chef, so buying any food gadgets is always met with loads of criticism from him. He can make quick work if loads of things and even did a man vs machine (a large robocoup) and won! All, I try to do any meals involving loads of chopping on his nights off. Balthough I am not too shabby in the knife skills department!
I don't have that chopper but I have a few others. My aim is not to chop my knuckles! Just got back from Mexico where every restaurant and bar automatically bring chips and salsa to the table so this was a timely post!
ReplyDeleteI've always been kind of a sucker for the As Seen on TV stuff, but I never buy it unless I see it in a store. My most recent ASoTV splurge was the sock bun thing. They make it look SO easy. Either I'm an idiot, or it's really not. I usually just end up with a big ol' tangled mess on my head!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the chopping-- I went looking for a food processor about six months ago, but when I saw the prices, I was stunned! I guess it's been a LOT of years since I've priced them. Anyway, I picked up the least expensive one I could find-- the Ninja Mini Chopper. And O.M.G. that thing is life changing. You CAN put a half a (reasonably sized) onion in it, and get either nice big chunks, or teeny, bitty pieces. It totally depends on how many times you pulse it. Now I use it for everything from chili, to salsa, to salads, pie dough...you name it. For $20, it can't be beat. For FIFTY dollars, it can't be beat. Ha. And now, I sound like an ASoTV infomercial ;-)
Someone gave us the Magic Bullet (I think that is what it is called?), a blender with a million little gadgets. Meh. I haven't been impressed with it. My sister and my dad LOVE as seen on TV...I love the commercials. I always think they sound so great-then I talk to my hubs and he pops my bubble! :)
ReplyDeleteI have a similar food chopper (made by Pampered Chef) and I love it! Makes chopping onions so much easier!
ReplyDeleteWe have the As seen on TV tortilla bowl! It's still in the box. I can't wait until you do a review so i can see if it's worth it for me to take it out of the box!
I love my Magic Bullet. My sister bought it off the infomercial and got the second one free and gave it to me. I have used it so much, I completely wore out one of the blade attachments. As luck would have it, I found a brand new replacement at Goodwill for 50 cents! Happy, happy! My sister never used hers. I think it stayed in the box forever.
ReplyDeleteI have the older version of this. The Vidalia Chop Wizard. Bought it at the thrift store for 1.99. Best 2 bucks I've spent!
ReplyDelete