Does anyone make their own salsa?

[MolieMuts]

Or pico de gallo? I have a basic idea of the ingredients I need, but not sure how to prepare the tomatoes. I made some the other night w/ tomato, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and garlic. My mini chopper was broken so I just diced it by hand. It tasted ok, but it got kind of runny and the flavors didn't seem to combine well. I have also made it in the past by blending it, but it got foamy. If you have made this, did you use fresh tomatoes or canned? Do you chop it or blend it? Have you used other ingredients? We had some pico de gallo while in New Mexico and it was so good...it had chunks of jalapeno, but it was not too spicy. The waiter told us what was in it, but I have since forgotten...I could have sworn he said vinegar. Does that sound right?

Anybody have a tried and true recipe/method?

TIA!

[nrp]

I'm in Texas and usually just eyeball my pico, but your ingredient list looks right - plus a generous dash of salt. I don't like to use a chopper for it, as I think it pulverizes the tomato and onions too much. I usually remove the seeds and pul from my tomatoes before chopping, that cuts down on any soupiness. The pico I see is chunky, not at all like salsa. I have never heard of using vinegar in it, but I do use a good amount of lime juice.

[MolieMuts]

I'm in Texas and usually just eyeball my pico, but your ingredient list looks right - plus a generous dash of salt. I don't like to use a chopper for it, as I think it pulverizes the tomato and onions too much. I usually remove the seeds and pul from my tomatoes before chopping, that cuts down on any soupiness. The pico I see is chunky, not at all like salsa. I have never heard of using vinegar in it, but I do use a good amount of lime juice.


Thanks! Do you peel your tomatoes and peppers?

[nrp]

Thanks! Do you peel your tomatoes and peppers?

No, that seems like way too much trouble! And, btw, I meant "pulp" in my original post.

[becca_g]

I grew up in Texas, so I love salsa but am extremely picky about it. Found an easy restaurant style recipe recently that is very good and has the smooth consistency I prefer. I'm still playing around with the recipe a bit, but here goes:

(2) 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes (I use Hunts)
15-20 jarred jalapeno slices
2-3 dribbles of jalapeno juice
1/8 of an onion (or less)
1+ tsp garlic powder
2+ tsp salt

-Grind jalapeno slices, jalapeno juice, and onion in food processor until pureed
-Add puree, garlic powder, and salt to tomatoes and stir

Makes a large batch ... you could easily cut in half.

Adjust all ingredients to taste. However, too little salt and jalapeno juice will make the salsa taste like store bought.

Also, the original recipe didn't call for onion, but the tomato taste was overpowering without it.

Other ingredients I've added to the food processor:
-Jarred diced garlic and juice in addition to the garlic powder (if you're a real garlic fan)
-Canned chiles (adds a smoky flavor)

I hate cilantro (and thus am not a fan of pico de gallo), but you could add that as well.

Other ingredients I'm planning to try with different batches (we make salsa VERY frequently):
-Lime juice
-White or red wine vinegar (although some argue vinegar shouldn't be used in authentic salsa)
-Olive oil
-Chipotle hot sauce
-Soy sauce
-Tequila
-Serrano peppers
-Rotel
-Yellow or red onion
-Sugar
-Pepper
-Cumin

[MolieMuts]

I'll have to try your recipe! I love fresh salsa, but I don't like the jarred stuff so much. I would like to try it with tomatillos also. Thanks for the help!

[kijip]

Definately chop by hand. As for the flavors blending, I find it is like soup and often better on day two after sitting in the fridge. If I do make it same day, I try to make it early and let it sit in the fridge for a few or more hours.

[DrSally]

I haven't made my own, but I think homemade tastes the best. I've heard that you're supposed to hand chop so it doesn't get mushy, and then the salt helps bring the water out of the tomatoes, so it doesn't get so runny, IIRC.

[zoestargrove]

I'll second the pp that said that the flavors take time to blend together. I've also enjoyed chopping up some frozen or fresh mango or peaches into my salsa.