Does anyone think they make the best salsa on the planet?

If so....can I get a recipe?
I have loads of fresh tomatoes and serranos from my garden, and I made a batch using this recipe a few weekends ago: I used a food processor to chop everything)

20-25 Roma tomatoes ..cut up in bitable pieces
1 red bell pepper diced small
1 yellow bell pepper diced small
1 yellow or if you can get on Vandalia onion medium size diced
1 Green pepper (Optional some people do not like green peppers)
1 bunch of Cilantro cut finely ..try not to get too many stems
3 tables spoons of crushed garlic
2 tables spoons or to your liking Cheyenne pepper
Or 1 finely cut up Jalapeno pepper
1 TSP of salt
1 tables spoon of paprika
Juice of 2 limes



Now, don't get me wrong, it WAS good, but I actually felt it was missing something, and added a little cumin. It got better. But WHY can't I make it as good as the restaurants? There's this place that has the best salsa and I asked them and they told me what was in it but not the proportions, and I can't duplicate it. I CRAVE fresh salsa ALL summer long, and I'm dying to make more.
My salsa always comes out like almost TOO fresh. Does that make sense? I don't know what, but something is missing....

Mmm, salsa. The only really good salsa I've made was a peach salsa. Cant wait to see what other recipes are mentioned!!

I've never made salsa, but I do love it. I should really try and make it instead of buying it because I find that I swell up so badly from the amount of salt in the purchased kind.

I've read that one should rinse the onion when you use it fresh in salsas... that way, it doesn't have too much a bite. However, I doubt your salsa tasted too "fresh" from too much bitter onion taste. I hope others have good suggestions.

Try making it one day and serving it the next so that the flavours of the ingredients have a chance to marry with one another.

you simmer most of the ingredients different times depending on what they are to get what you are looking for, since you said you almost feel it is too "fresh".

Ah, see I don't cook mine....would that make a difference? And I actually took 3 days to eat it all, and the last day was just like the rest, no change. Another way to describe it I guess is it remnds me more of pico e gallo than salsa. But there are no chunks like pico...

Not to toot my own horn or anything but I do make a mean salsa

This recipe is for about 6 jars.

30 tomato's chopped
2 red onions chopped
4 green peppers chopped
2 red peppers chopped
1/4 cup chopped pickles jalapeno peppers
juice of 2 lemons..
2 cans tomato juice
2 small cans tomato paste.
1 tablespoon cumin
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder

Mix everything into a large saucepan and bring to boil, simmer for several minutes.
The longer you cook it the more smoothe the salsa.

Pour into sealable canning jars.
This can be stored on a shelf as long as the jars are sealed as soon as you open it though put it in the fridge...

UW-extension puts out a pamphlet on salsa's. I think you can google "the learning store-UWEX" and it will pop up. You might have to look around the site though.
Its Canning Salsa safely and another is Tomatoes tart and tasty.

I haven't made salsa for a while as I'm the only one who would eat it and sometimes when I can it the jars won't seal.

I looked at your recipe and I don't see any black pepper or cumin. Plus I use more onions and garlic and no bell peppers just green. chili and jalepenos.

mine isnt a fresh recipe nor is it traditional salsa but it is incredibly good!!!

5lbs of hamburger(I use the leanest hamburger I can find)
1 large can of tomato past or (2-4 depends on your taste) large tomatoes chopped(I use the paste)
2 cans Sam's Choice(wal*mart) mild chunky salsa
2 cans great value(wal*mart) chilli beans(I only use one can)

Fry the Hamburger or Crockpot it(the crockpot tastes better) until done
If fried us a large pot combine hamburger tomatoe(s)(paste) mild chunky salsa and chillibeans bring to boil stirring enough to keep it from burning let boil about 5 minutes let set for around 30 minutes or eat hot

For crockpot when hamburger is done pull all the oil from it and add all the ingredients turn down to low around (1-2 hours) eat when ready!

Its good with sour cream and cheese makes a good 'taco' salad too!

menagerie mama, do you seriously only put one Jalapeno in the salsa? It would be way too mild for my family. My daughter was eating hot salsa at age 2.

Start with a basic recipe and play with it. I actually made a batch and divided it into four bowls and tried different combinations of spices. One advantage was that I learned what the different spices actually taste like at different strengths. I added some things and took away others. I usually make a gallon at a time - it won't last a week here. And I get requests for the salsa and recipe. I will make the salsa, but I've never given away the recipe. My family seriously wants me to market it.

One hint that I learned. Mix the spices in, a smaller amount than you really think it will need and let the salsa sit at room temperature for an hour. Stir it well, taste and then adjust the spices.

That recipe was given to me by someone, along with the comment "this salsa kicks serious a$$." So I made it as is. I agree it could use another pepper. I don't like it TOO hot but even I thouht it could have been spicier. What if I used 1 habenero instead of 2 jalepenos? Would that ben too spicy? I have 3 ripe ones right now...

Habenaros are hotter than jalepenos. Make sure you wear gloves as I got a chemical burn from handling these types of peppers a few years ago while making a large batch of salsa to can.

My hands burned for days after I sliced up jalapenos once, I've never been able to find food grade gloves though!

May 5, 2007 they held a salsa contest at work. I had never made salsa before in my life but found a good recipe online and tried it. I won first place in the most authentic salsa category!

I have improved on it since and DH still loves it! The girls in my row at work beg me to bring some too since they love the stuff.

Here is my recipe..

4 fresh jalapeños using the seeds from one of them
1 medium fresh yellow onion
4-5 cloves fresh garlic
2 tbl crushed red pepper flakes
1 tbl salt
3 large cans Hunts petite diced tomatoes
cilantro (optional, DH hates the stuff, so I don't include it)

Slice jalapeños, onions and garlic and put in food processor. You can put big chunks since the processor will chop them fine. Put in the salt and pepper flakes and process a few seconds until everything is chopped. Strain the tomatoes to remove all the excess liquid. Put in the processor and process until you reach the consistency that you want. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may have to process part of the tomatoes separately. Put everything into a container and mix thoroughly. Chill and enjoy with chips, on omelets, or anything you want! DH loves it on my omelets I make. The longer it sits, the hotter it will get!

Originally Posted by MonaxLisa

My hands burned for days after I sliced up jalapeños once, I've never been able to find food grade gloves though!

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I use latex gloves but rinse them thoroughly after I put them on. Jalapeño and onion juice can stay on your hands even after you wash them, and if you touch your eyes...... OUCH!!!!!!! That is why I prepare my salsa using gloves!

I love salsa hot, seriously hot, so I would take a handfull of jalapenos + the habenero!
Salsa is a very personal thing, IMO. We pick our Mexican restaurants based on their salsa. If is like ketschup, we won' be back. If it is runny or the chunks too large, we don't like it.

So try it and adjust a little each time you make it. I do it by look and taste. The flavor of the tomatoes and the capsin level of the jalapenos vary from batch to batch, so each batch is slightly different.

That's funny, I base my Mexican restaurants on their salsa too! We only have 3 that I'll go to around here! Um, yeah I was just going to come on here and say "note to self, don't rub eyes or scratch nose after handling habeneros." Underneath both my thumbnails are on fire, and I scratched my nose (ok, people can itch the inside of their nose without picking it! I promise there were no "extras" in the salsa!) and that burned like I put Vicks in it for 2 hours!!

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

Ah, see I don't cook mine....would that make a difference?

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Oh yes, I'm sure that's the difference! Throw what's left in a pot and let it simmer awhile, and I bet it'll be great!

I've been thinking of trying to make some salsa, too, but I'm so crazy about Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa that I guess I lack motivation...

Originally Posted by menagerie mama

My salsa always comes out like almost TOO fresh. Does that make sense? I don't know what, but something is missing....

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I make a mean salsa if you ask me. I know exactly what you are talking about that it comes out too fresh. I make a version not too off from yours with the following variations:

Broil the tomatoes for about 3-4 minutes turning them as a side browns and the skins crack. Let them cool, remove the skins and chop them coursely.

For the peppers, I use whatever pepper DH grows in the garden. Usually jalepenos, cayenne, red chili, tai, pobablano, sometimes habenero. I put these with an onion and a few toes of garlic in a food processor. I chop up a bunch of cilantro.

All of the above goes into a large pot on the stove top. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.

When you cook the tomato in this fashion, it takes away the overly fresh taste of the tomato, and you can put this directly into freezer bags then freeze it. Freezing tomatoes without a quick cook makes the tomatoes mushy. Cooking them allows them to freeze for a long while.