Let's get cooking! Sign up for our free meal planner, click here for more details.
How to make Mexican salsa including a step-by-step recipe.
Some people may not know this, but there are a number of varied "salsas" in Mexican cooking.
The most popular, and the one that we are most familiar with particularly in the UK or the US, is the Mexican salsa, which is red in colour and contains tomatoes as the main ingredient.
In Spanish, "salsa" means sauce and can be used to describe any type of sauce that is served with food, whilst in the English language, "salsa" refers to the tomato-based spicy condiment that is served as a dip with Mexican food.
The most popular, and the one that we are most familiar with particularly in the UK or the US, is the Mexican salsa, which is red in colour and contains tomatoes as the main ingredient.
In Spanish, "salsa" means sauce and can be used to describe any type of sauce that is served with food, whilst in the English language, "salsa" refers to the tomato-based spicy condiment that is served as a dip with Mexican food.
Advertisements
Mexican salsa is very easy to prepare and can be made in a matter of minutes. It can be served as an appetizer and is also very popular at parties or even as a snack to be eaten at home whilst watching the television.
Mexican salsa is traditionally served with tortilla chips, bread sticks, pitta bread, and raw vegetables or as a spread for tacos, fajitas and quesadillas.
Salsa is not usually cooked, although there are some recipes that call for the chillies and tomatoes to be grilled or charred to give a smoky flavouring.
There are variations on how to make Mexican salsa and it generally depends on where in Mexico the cook is from. A person from the north of Mexico may use several different ingredients to someone from the south of Mexico, however the basic ingredients are red tomatoes, onion, Serrano chillies and salt and pepper.
In some recipes cilantro or coriander is often added, as is garlic, red or green peppers, jalapeno peppers and lime juice. The salsa can be prepared in a blender or more often than not, the ingredients are all chopped and mixed together by hand.
Many people assume that Mexican salsa is very hot and spicy. This can be true, although some salsas are extremely mild in taste. When preparing your own salsa at home, for a hot and spicy version, just add extra jalapeno peppers or extra chillies.
Below is a quick and easy recipe followed by links to a number of variations, ranging from the very mild to the very hot.
Mexican salsa is traditionally served with tortilla chips, bread sticks, pitta bread, and raw vegetables or as a spread for tacos, fajitas and quesadillas.
Salsa is not usually cooked, although there are some recipes that call for the chillies and tomatoes to be grilled or charred to give a smoky flavouring.
There are variations on how to make Mexican salsa and it generally depends on where in Mexico the cook is from. A person from the north of Mexico may use several different ingredients to someone from the south of Mexico, however the basic ingredients are red tomatoes, onion, Serrano chillies and salt and pepper.
In some recipes cilantro or coriander is often added, as is garlic, red or green peppers, jalapeno peppers and lime juice. The salsa can be prepared in a blender or more often than not, the ingredients are all chopped and mixed together by hand.
Many people assume that Mexican salsa is very hot and spicy. This can be true, although some salsas are extremely mild in taste. When preparing your own salsa at home, for a hot and spicy version, just add extra jalapeno peppers or extra chillies.
Below is a quick and easy recipe followed by links to a number of variations, ranging from the very mild to the very hot.
Mexican salsa
Mexican salsa
Recipe description
This is a quick and easy recipe for a Mexican salsa that contains tomatoes, green chilies, onion, coriander and lemon juice. Serve as a dip to go with tortilla chips, savoury biscuits, on fajitas or even as a dip for crudités. Serves: 2 persons
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 0 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Ingredients
- 3 chopped red tomatoes
- 5 finely chopped serrano chillies (green chillies)
- ½ cup of finely chopped onion
- ½ cup of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
- lemon juice
- salt
Method
- Make sure that the onion, tomatoes, chillies and coriander are all finely chopped. You can use a knife or put everything into a blender.
- Season with salt and add lemon juice to your taste.
- Chill in the refrigerator before serving.
This recipe for a Mexican salsa is made with tinned tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic and chili powder. This salsa is good for those that like a fiery kick to their food.
As its name suggests this recipe is milder than most of those for Mexican salsa. In this recipe the ingredients include tomatoes, onion, coriander, lemon juice and only one chili.
This recipe for Mexican salsa contains slightly more ingredients than most recipes for this dip. These extra ingredients include red pepper and green olives.
Advertisements
