Home-made salsa tips?

[Freshman30]

One of my roommates' family owns kind of a small farm. His mom sent us all kinds of peppers (bell peppers of various colors, different spicy peppers, and some green beans too!). My boyfriend and I are going to make salsa for the house. But we've never made salsa.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF TOMATOES TO USE. haha Any tips?

We'll take tips of any kind, too. We're new to this!

[cjohnson728]

Hi Mandy, maybe not what you're looking for, but I used crushed tomatoes. I like my salsa smooth, like in a Mexican restaurant. I use garlic, onion, jalapenos, and cilantro, pureed in a food processor, then add crushed tomatoes and pulse some more; maybe thin it a bit with water. Sometimes I will sprinkle in some dried red pepper also, depending on how many jalapeno seeds did or didn't make it in .

Tip-wise, from lessons learned, don't go too heavy on the onion, or it can hijack the rest of the flavors; adding lime is also tasty. It is a work in process; taste as you go. If you add more of one thing after tasting, give it a chance to blend (let it sit for a while) before you taste again, because the flavor does change over time. I think next time I will roast the veggies before pureeing them and see what that does to the flavor.

Enjoy experimenting!

[JaimeMWS]

We like chunky salsa. Any tomatoes that are nice and ripe and fragrant work. We cut them into rough dice. Garlic, onion, fresh cilantro, lime, salt and peppers to taste. If you want it hot and spicy, include the seeds of the hot peppers; if you want it milder, leave the seeds out. I agree with Cassie - taste and experiment. Have fun!

[Freshman30]

Thank you both! We've decided to try a couple different things! I like my salsa to be smooth, but he likes his chunky! I'll definitely try the crushed tomatoes!