Need tips on making salsa

[ChaoZ]

I tried making salsa for the first time today. Here are the ingredients I used:

2 large tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
1 jalapeno
1/2 red onion
cup of cilantro
1 lime juice
1 teaspoon salt

I used the blender and I did it too much cause it came out really liquidy. The taste from the onion is really overwhelming. Oh well -- live and learn. What changes should I make next time?

 

[Arcadio]

less onion?

 

[effowe]

Instead of blending, take the time to coarsly chop the ingredients. Onion has a tendency to be overwhelming when it is chopped too finely.

Edit: Here is a recipe of the best salsa I've made. It's a Bobby Flay creation, and this one you can put into the blender.

Tomatillo-Poblano Salsa:

8 tomatillos, husked and washed

2 poblano chile peppers

1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

Canola oil, for brushing vegetables, plus 1/2 cup

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 lime, juiced

2 tablespoons honey

Heat grill to high. Brush tomatillos, poblanos, and onions with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on the grill and grill the tomatillos and poblanos until charred on all sides. Grill the onions until lightly golden brown and cooked through. Place the poblanos in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 15 minutes. Remove skin, stem, and seeds of poblanos, and then coarsely chop and place in a blender. Coarsely chop the tomatillos and onions and place in the blender. Add the garlic, cilantro, lime juice, and honey and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup oil and blend until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour into a serving bowl.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Well, definitely change the blender, you don't want to liquefy the onion. I do however like to liquefy a little of the tomato, so I generally toss about half a tomato into the food processor to get it kind of pulpy. Everything else gets diced fine. I'd also go with a LOT less cilantro, a full cup in a recipe that small would be WAY overpowering. Just a couple of sprigs would be about right. Once you make it mix it, refrigerate for an hour, mix again and refrigerate again. It's better after it stands a little so the flavors mingle.

 

[Kelemvor]

1) Go to the grocery store
2) Buy some Salsa
3) ...
4) Profit!

 

[vi edit]

Blenders are bad for salsa. They don't have enough surface area around the blades and everything just sort of gets jammed up at the bottom. Get a good sized food processor. It does worlds better for making a nice, diced salsa.

Also for your recipe, you need more tomato. I like using romas for my salsa. I usually go 9 roma tomatoes to 1 yellow onion. Jalapeno to taste...

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Homemade salsa is all about the coarse chopping. I don't use a blender at all when making it. Everyone's different so just add ingredients in the quantities you like.

 

[sjwaste]

The tomato will make it really runny. Chop the tomato by hand, or separately, and drain off some of the liquid that runs out when you cut it up. Also, seed it.

If you're just quartering a tomato and throwing it in with the rest of the ingredients, you're getting too much of the tomato water in there.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Call it Sauce. Salsa is un-American.

 

[Barfo]

Never use bell peppers in salsa.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: sjwaste
The tomato will make it really runny. Chop the tomato by hand, or separately, and drain off some of the liquid that runs out when you cut it up. Also, seed it.

If you're just quartering a tomato and throwing it in with the rest of the ingredients, you're getting too much of the tomato water in there.

That's what is nice about a food processor. It's more of a fine chop than a full on liquifying action that a blender will do.

 

[troytime]

i've used alton browns recipe several times. it's really good.
i typically double up on the roasted jalapenos and garlic, but then skip the bell pepper


* 6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 seeded and minced jalapenos, plus 2 roasted, skinned and chopped jalapenos
* 1 red bell pepper, fine dice
* 1/2 red onion, fine chopped
* 2 dry ancho chiles, seeded, cut into short strips and snipped into pieces
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 lime, juiced
* Chili powder, salt, and pepper, to taste
* Fresh scallions, cilantro or parsley, to taste

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Call it Sauce. Salsa is un-American.

Salsa is now the number-one condiment in America.

(or at least so I hear )


Also, I agree with way less cilantro and no bell peppers.

 

[nutxo]

Originally posted by: MrPickins

Originally posted by: DivideBYZero
Call it Sauce. Salsa is un-American.

Salsa is now the number-one condiment in America.

(or at least so I hear )


Also, I agree with way less cilantro and no bell peppers.

I thought trojan was the number one condiment.....


I like to use tomatoes, onion and pickled jalapenos ( ciliantro is optional). Everything coarsely chopped. Add some garlic and salt and let stand a few hours. Drain off the excess water, mix it up again and enjoy

 

[Nik]

roma tomatos (more meat than juice)
white onion
cilantro
habaneros
lemon juice
minced garlic

 

[venkman]

Step 1. Go To Store
Step 2. Buy Salsa
Step 3. Consume Salsa
Step 4. Excrete Salsa

Return to step 1