Tomato salsa is a chunky dipping sauce that’s made of fresh tomatoes, cilantro and a generous dose of olive oil. It is a vegan, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly side-dish that is the perfect accompaniment to tacos, burritos, nachos or even fried snacks.
Often while planning a party night, one is left wondering about snacks recipes that would involve:
a. Minimum effort
b. Maximum taste
This Mexican salsa recipe will have you thanking your lucky stars because it is ready in just 20 minutes, requires no cooking whatsoever, and is a healthy summer dip.
Try out this fun and easy chunky salsa recipe for your next Mexican night – we promise there will be no disappointments! One can indulge in seconds and thirds with no guilt whatsoever. So let’s get started.
Basics Of Making Tomato Salsa…
Salsa is described as a savory sauce made using fresh fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, chilies, mango, and herbs. The main ingredients are chopped and mashed by hand. The seasonings help the ingredients secrete their natural juices, which make up the sauce of the salsa.
Tomato: The star of a tomato salsa is – tomatoes! South Americans and Mexicans love to use the local variety of tomatoes to make a finger licking good salsa. In India, the local variety of tomatoes are round, greenish-to- red depending on ripeness and are quite tart to semi-sweet in taste. However, rounder, ripe, fleshy and slightly sweet tomatoes are perfect for making salsa. The tomatoes should be firm to touch but fully ripe from inside, the harder ones aren’t juicy, and you will end up with dry chunks in your tomato salsa.
Seasoning: To season the salsa, add freshly chopped herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil etc), lime juice, green chilies, red onion, and a good quality extra virgin olive oil. The golden rule of any salsa is to chill it for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to mature and juices to come together.
Substitutes: It is hard to get authentic Mexican ingredients everywhere. Hence, here are few recommended substitutes for ingredients that will help you make great salsa at home even if you are not in Mexico.
San Marzano, Roma Tomato -> Use any local ripe, firm and fleshy tomato
Jalapeneo, Habanero -> Use any spicy green chili variety
White Onion -> Use red onion or spring onion bulb
Cilantro -> Parsley, coriander, basil
Uses For Homemade Tomato Salsa:
Fresh homemade salsa is a multi-purpose condiment that can be used in a variety of ways:
- serve with nachos
- layer in tacos/burritos
- Mexican burrito bowls/casseroles
- Quesadillas
- if it is a lazy day and you really have nothing else to serve it with, simply open a packet of chips and dig in.
Love salsa? Try these Mexican recipes:
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Fresh Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 5 – 6 ripe and juicy tomato, fine chopped
- 1 – 2 jalapeneo or green chili, deseeded and fine chopped
- 1 onion, fine chopped
- 1 – 2 cloves of garlic, fine chopped or grated
- Juice of one lemon
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 Cup fine chopped cilantro or coriander
Instructions
- Wash and chop the tomatoes into small cubes. Place the tomatoes face up while chopping to prevent the pieces from getting squished. Make sure to fine chop the tomatoes.
- Add chopped tomatoes into a large mixing bowl. Now, add rest of the ingredients and mix nicely. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
- Alternatively, place all ingredients including tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until just chunky. But make sure not to make a fine paste of ingredients. A good salsa has a rustic texture to it.
- Keep in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for tomatoes to release their juices.
- Serve fresh tomato salsa with any snack of your choice.
Recipe Notes:
- Canned diced tomatoes also work great for the salsa.
- Make sure to finely chop all the ingredients if not using a food processor.
- Tomato Salsa can be stored in the fridge for 7 – 10 days.
Nutrition
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