Description
Spicy Mexican Salsa elevates summer gatherings with fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, and zesty cilantro. Homemade flavors dance across your palate, promising a bold culinary adventure that brings friends and family together around one delicious bowl.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can (14.5 ounces / 411 grams) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained)
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 12 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Spices and Seasonings:
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
Liquids and Oils:
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the fresh produce by carefully chopping tomatoes into small, uniform cubes, ensuring each piece maintains a consistent texture and size for balanced flavor distribution.
- Mince the onion and jalapeno with precision, removing seeds from the pepper to control heat intensity while creating a fine, even chop that allows ingredients to meld seamlessly.
- Finely slice fresh cilantro leaves, releasing their vibrant aromatic oils and preparing for flavor integration.
- For a chunky salsa, gently combine the diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro in a mixing bowl, allowing the ingredients to naturally intermingle.
- Squeeze fresh lime juice over the vegetable mixture, which will brighten the overall taste profile and help marry the different components.
- Incorporate salt and additional seasonings, stirring delicately to distribute flavors without crushing the vegetable pieces.
- For a smoother variation, transfer the entire mixture into a food processor, pulsing in short bursts to achieve the desired consistency – from slightly chunky to completely smooth.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, ensuring a perfect balance of heat, acidity, and freshness before serving.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop and intensify, enhancing the salsa’s overall taste experience.
Notes
- For a chunkier texture, hand-chop ingredients instead of blending to maintain distinct vegetable pieces and fresh appearance.
- Adjust jalapeno quantity based on heat preference; remove seeds for milder salsa or include more for extra spiciness.
- Let salsa sit in refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld and intensify, creating a more complex taste profile.
- Use fresh, ripe tomatoes for maximum flavor and consider mixing different tomato varieties like Roma and vine-ripened for deeper, richer taste.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Appetizer
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 40
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg