Quick and Simple Cherry Salsa Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the key to good salsa? ›

An aerated salsa

Combining anything in a blender or food processor can make your product lighter and fainter in color than the ingredients you started with. This is due primarily to the high speed of the blades, which aerate the mixture and create tiny air bubbles throughout.

Yes. Removing the seeds from the tomatoes not only helps with the final texture of the salsa but also keeps the salsa from being watery and the flavor more intense.

Balance flavors; add salt, vinegar, lime juice, bottled hot sauce, and pinches of sugar, tasting frequently, until you achieve the perfect balance of sweet, savory, salty, sour, and spicy.

A unique blend of fresh tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice contributes to the vibrant, lively taste of restaurant-style salsa.

Acidic Ingredients

The acid ingredients in salsa help preserve it. You must add acid to canned salsa because the natural acidity may not be high enough. Commonly used acids are vinegar and bottled lemon juice. Lemon juice is more acidic than vinegar and has less effect on flavor.

Assuming that is similar to your recipe, if the vinegar was left out we cannot be sure the finished product has a low enough pH to inhibit bacterial growth in the processed jars. I would recommend that you mark the jars without the vinegar, store them in the refrigerator and use them within a month or two.

If you prefer a really thick salsa, drain the liquid in the can of whole tomatoes (personally I would drain it into a container, rather than down the drain). Then process the salsa as directed and add back some of the liquid from the can, a little at a time, until you have the consistency you're looking for.

At the very least, a little fresh lime juice and some minced cilantro can wake up even the sleepiest of salsas, ushering back in the flavor of just-squeezed citrus and herbs that taste like they came from a living plant. Beyond that, a crunchy raw vegetable or two never hurts.

What are the best tomatoes for salsa? ›

Roma Tomatoes are a popular choice for salsa-making due to their dense and meaty texture, small number of seeds, and full-of-flavor tanginess. Variations of this tomato are sometimes called “plum” or “paste” tomatoes. Red Beefsteak Tomatoes are another favorite for those who favor a juicier tomato in their salsa.

Blandness usually comes from lack of seasoning. When you prepare a dish like spaghetti sauce you want to season as you go, not just at the end. Salt enhances the flavor of foods as well as performs some important functions during cooking, like drawing moisture out of ingredients and intensifying their flavor.

Scoop the seeds out from your tomatoes because otherwise they can ruin the consistency and make your dish watery. When adding tomatoes to a salad, it's best to remove the seeds because the extra moisture can make your lettuce soggy and the seeds can play havoc with your teeth!

You don't need to peel them. After all, tomato skins are edible. However, if you're making a chunky salsa, leaving skins on is fine – as long as the texture doesn't bother you. The advantage of leaving them on is you save time and can make a salsa relatively quickly.

Give 'em a lil squeeze

Because cherry tomatoes are small, cutting them in half isn't always fun. You need a very sharp and precise knife, and you need to make sure to protect your fingers. If you want an easier solution, Kitchn notes that you can just squeeze them individually over a bowl to remove the seeds.

Roma Tomatoes are a popular choice for salsa-making due to their dense and meaty texture, small number of seeds, and full-of-flavor tanginess. Variations of this tomato are sometimes called “plum” or “paste” tomatoes. Red Beefsteak Tomatoes are another favorite for those who favor a juicier tomato in their salsa.

Salsa can be smooth or chunky, but it gets most of its flavor from fresh produce and herbs like cilantro.

Start by using a 2:1 weight ratio on your Tomatoes VS. Onions for a properly balanced salsa. Don't worry, you don't have to weigh ingredients every time you want to make salsa. Just know that a typical plum tomato weighs approximately 100g (3.5oz), and a largish white onion will weigh 300g (10.5 oz.)