Salsa Recipes

Salsa means different things to different people.

The original meaning of this Spanish word is 'sauce' whereas our influence here in Australia is primarily from the USA where the word now implies a coarsely chopped dip to be eaten with corn chips or poured onto tacos.

Across this website I'll adopt the following convention;

Salsa - a coarsely chopped (cooked or not) dip to be eaten with corn chips or poured over some foods.

Sauce - will generally refer to table sauces or cooking sauces.

OK, here we go;
The Salsa Recipes

Tlatonile

This recipe is many hundreds of years old and comes from the Huatasco region in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It's great just as a salsa, or as a sauce on grilled or roasted meat.

• 1/4 cup onion, finely diced
• 1 large bunch coriander, chopped
• juice of half a lime
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 6 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 or 2 rehydrated chipotles, finely chopped
• salt to taste

Mix all the ingredients together well, then chill for an hour in the fridge before serving.

"My Evil Twin" Habanero Salsa

Makes 8 Serves

• 2 Tblsp olive oil
• 1 med onion diced
• 1 green capsicum diced
• 1 red capsicum diced
• 1 anaheim chili chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 4 habanero chillies v.finely chopped
• 6 med tomatoes chopped
• 2 can tomatoes chopped
• 2 tblsp lime juice
• 2 tblsp lemon juice
• 1 teasp coriander leaf, fresh
• 1 teasp oregano, can be dried
• 1 tablsp sugar (or honey -- optional)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley finely chopped

Saute the onions, capsicums, and anaheims in the oil for a few minutes then add the chicken stock and saute until the stock is about gone.

Add the habaneros (I roasted mine first), the diced tomatoes (okay, I added the extra two cans to cut the heat down a bit, so if you want it super hot you can eliminate the cans or add a couple more habaneros), lime and lemon juices, coriander, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper.

Simmer for 20 or 30 minutes and add the parsley and simmer a few more minutes.

Chill and use as a dip with some quality corn chips, or heat and pour over burritos.

Mixed Chilli Salsa

This recipe is adapted from a book by one of Australia's greatest food pioneers, Stephanie Alexander.

• 1/2 cup finely diced red capsicum
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow capsicum
• 1 seeded and finely chopped jalapeno
• 1 seeded and finely chopped Hungarian wax chilli
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup frsh coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tblsp very finely chopped red onion
• juice of 1 large lime
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Mix the ingredients together and allow the flavours to blend for 1 hour or so. If you like it hot, add some finely minced habanero.

Great as a dip or scattered over seafood.

A Mango Salsa

• 1 cup diced ripe mango
• 2 tblsp minced red onion
• 1½ tblsp freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tblsp chopped green or red chilli - your choice of type
• 10ml of white rum
• finely minced habanero, to taste

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl and mix through.

Chill for 2 hours and serve with chips or biscuits.

Roasted Jalapeno, Capsicum, & Tomato Salsa

• 2 red jalapeno chillies
• 1 ripe red capsicum
• 1/2 kg ripe red tomatoes
• 1 brown onion finely chopped
• 1 large bunch fresh coriander, chopped
• salt & pepper to taste

Make a small slit in the jalapenos and capsicum with a small paring knife. Then put the tomatoes, jalapenos, and capsicum in a roasting pan and roast at 200C for about 50 minutes, until blackened and soft.

Put the jalapenos and capsicum in a bag while still hot and let them sweat for 15 minutes. When the tomatoes have cooled down, skin them then dice the flesh.

Take the jalapenos and capsicum out of the bag and peel off the skin. Also remove the stems, seeds and white pith. Chop the flesh roughly and mix in with the diced tomato, onion, lime juice, and coriander.

Flavour with salt and pepper then refrigerate for an hour or so to let the flavours develop.

Salsa Cruda

This spicy salsa is from the Mexican state of Chihuahua !

Makes 2 cups

• 1/4 cup serrano chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup jalapeno chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup poblano chillies, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 1 grilled tomato, peeled and very finely chopped
• 1/4 cup spring onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1/4 - 1/2 teasp salt to taste
• 1/4 cup coriander, very finely chopped
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded and chopped

Put the chillies, onion, spring onion and salt in a bowl with the lime juice. Be careful not to use a metal bowl that may react with the lime juice and bugger up the flavour. Mix well and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Drain off the liquid and throw it away.

Stir in the remaining ingredients, chill for half an hour and serve with corn chips and an ice cold beer.

Guacamole Salsa

makes 6-8 serves

Guacamole is a smooth Avocado dip - that's not my intention here, but the flavour is so reminiscent of guacamole that I had to put it in the name.

• 4 Avocados
• 2 large, fresh tomatoes - chopped finely
• 1-2 Jalapeno Chillies, de-seeded & finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup coriander leaves & stems, finely chopped
• ½ teasp cumin
• ½ teasp smoked paprika
• Lime juice to taste

Scoop out the avocado flesh and roughly chop then quickly put it in a bowland add a splash of lime juice and mix it gently for a few seconds to coat and stop it browning. The browning of the avocados does not affect the flavour but tends to make the end result look like something out of a used nappy (pretty unappealing).

Add the chilli, tomatoes, cumin, garlic, spring onions, paprika, spring onions, coriander and a little more lime juice (keeping some aside).

Mix well, but gently, so as not to mash up the avocado cubes.

Keep it, covered, in the fridge until needed. Before serving mix up again and adjust the final taste with the lime juice and garnish with fresh coriander leaves and/or chilli slices.