For a long time I thought I didn’t really like salsa. I’d had some good salsa in restaurants, but I’d been meh or even downright grossed out by every jar of commercial salsa I’d ever tried. I kept wanting the experience of salsa, something juicy and acidic to perk up nachos and other Tex-Mex dishes, but the reality was always disappointing and I’ve finally figured out why: it’s the texture. Jarred salsas are chunky, with big, water-logged blobs of stewed tomato floating in thin sauce. Traditional restaurant-style salsa, on the other hand, is pureed to a thick, saucy consistency. Homemade it’s a revelation: bright and vibrant, exploding with the fresh flavors of tomatoes, jalapenos, green chiles and lime.
The ribs and seeds of the jalapeno pepper are the source of heat in this salsa. Use all of the ribs and seeds for a spicy salsa, half for medium heat, and none for mild. (I usually go for medium heat.) For a hit of fresh herb flavor and green color, I throw in a big handful of parsley leaves but you can use the more traditional cilantro if you prefer. (I don’t cook with cilantro. It’s not that I dislike the flavor, it’s just that cilantro tends to spoil in about five minutes, and I can never come up with enough ways to use it before it does. Parsley’s shelf life (in the fridge) is easily five times longer, and it has a million uses. In a mixture as spicy and flavorful as this salsa, it fits right in.)
The obvious thing to do with this salsa is to plop it in the center of a big bowl of tortilla chips and dunk away. But salsa is also an essential condiment in countless Tex-Mex dishes, from nachos to queso to burritos, and can liven up everything from scrambled eggs to steamed vegetables.
Making this ahead, and what to do with leftovers:
- Restaurant-style salsa keeps for a couple of weeks in the fridge, and freezes well. This recipe makes a heaping quart of salsa; I often freeze half and keep half in the fridge for dipping and dolloping on whatever seems to need it, which turns out to be just about everything.
To see this salsa as part of a Tex-Mex-themed menu, read my post for Saturday April 17, 2021.
Restaurant-Style Salsa
You control the amount of heat in this salsa. For a spicy salsa, use all of the ribs and seeds from the jalapeno pepper; for medium heat, use half, and for mild, use only the flesh of the pepper.
Ingredients
- 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with their juices
- 4 ounces canned diced green chiles with their juices
- ½ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves (or substitute cilantro)
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, chopped, with or without ribs and seeds (see note)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon Morton’s), plus additional to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about ½ a juicy lime), or more to taste
Directions
- Step 1 Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the processor until the salsa is roughly pureed, or to your desired consistency. Chill the salsa for at least one hour to allow the flavors to blend. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
