Description
Spicy Mexican Salsa blends fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro into a zesty condiment. Robust flavor and quick preparation make this salsa a crowd-pleasing favorite you can easily enjoy at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can (14.5 oz / 411 g) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained)
- 12 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp sugar (optional)
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Preparation: Meticulously dice tomatoes into uniform cubes, creating a balanced texture foundation for the salsa.
- Ingredient Processing: Finely mince onion and jalapeno, carefully removing pepper seeds to modulate heat intensity while ensuring consistent chopping.
- Herb Preparation: Delicately slice cilantro leaves to release aromatic oils and optimize flavor integration.
- Mixing Technique: Gently combine diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a mixing bowl, allowing ingredients to naturally intermingle and develop complementary flavors.
- Flavor Enhancement: Drizzle fresh lime juice over the vegetable mixture, introducing brightness and helping ingredients harmonize while creating a vibrant taste profile.
- Seasoning and Consistency: Add salt and optional seasonings, stirring gently to distribute flavors without compromising the vegetable’s structural integrity; alternatively, pulse the mixture in a food processor for a smoother texture ranging from slightly chunky to completely pureed.
- Flavor Refinement: Conduct a taste test, adjusting seasonings to achieve a perfect balance of heat, acidity, and freshness before final presentation.
- Flavor Development: Refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, allowing ingredients to marinate and intensify their collective flavor profile, resulting in a more complex and satisfying salsa experience.
Notes
- Customize Heat Level: Remove jalapeno seeds entirely for mild salsa or keep some seeds for extra spiciness, allowing personal heat preference control.
- Maximize Freshness Technique: Chop vegetables just before serving to preserve crisp texture and prevent soggy consistency, ensuring vibrant salsa quality.
- Flavor Enhancement Trick: Let salsa rest in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes, allowing ingredients to blend and develop deeper, more complex taste profile.
- Texture Optimization Method: Use pulse technique in food processor for consistent chunkiness, avoiding over-blending which can create watery, mushy salsa texture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Appetizer
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg