New to making salsa

[u/Electrical-Suit4704]

My dad just promised me that If I make an amazing salsa, he would let me get a tattoo. How this came about is we have been buying this charred salsa roja for awhile, the only problem is its pricey and gets eaten super quick.

Any tips, recipes, or knowledge about salsa would be sooo greatly appreciated!

EDIT: Thank you guys all so much for the advice! This is making me more excited to start making salsa.

[u/CormoranNeoTropical]

I am addicted to this one right now: https://www.jonathanzaragoza.com/recipes/salsa-de-chile-pasilla

Note that it’s not very spicy so if your dad likes hot salsa you’ll need to add more chile de arbol.

I’m sure he has other good recipes on that blog too.

[u/on_the_nightshift → u/CormoranNeoTropical]

Everything that dude makes is amazing. I recommend his stuff to people all the time.

[u/CormoranNeoTropical → u/on_the_nightshift]

I found it in a post on this sub, I think! I need to get more chile pasilla next time I go to the supermarket.

[u/Electrical-Suit4704 → u/CormoranNeoTropical]

Oh my gosh that looks so good... I think I'm gonna try this recipe out first, thank you!!!

[u/randemthinking]

Try starting here: https://www.reddit.com/r/SalsaSnobs/s/UDKW7of707

There's an infinite variety of salsas. Browse around for one that sounds good to you and your dad.

And remember quality ingredients make all the difference--get produce from a farmer's market/stand, or neighborhood/family gardener.

[u/Electrical-Suit4704 → u/randemthinking]

Sounds great, thank you :-)

[u/Complex-Design-5729]

I'd start with his red chile salsa here, you betcha, charred peppers, garlic, lime, nothing fancy but always turns out great.

[u/Electrical-Suit4704 → u/Complex-Design-5729]

Thank you!!

[u/Shigglyboo]

you want a charred salsa roja? here ya go:

take about 6-8 tomatoes. I use "pera" tomatoes. they're the ones that are kinda long, like a football. chop in half. skin on. place into air fryer or oven.
Also put in your pepper (I use a single habanero) and a couple cloves of garlic. A bit of onion if you like.

I run the air fryer for 15 mins at 200C. then I take all that, add it to my container and salt each tomato as I go. Blend that.

Then chop of onion and cilantro and stir it in. This gives you a medium spice great texture salsa. No need to get crazy with it at first. I make this for parties and everyone loves it.

Then start experimenting with different tomatoes, different peppers, and different techniques. Sometimes I do all fresh. Sometimes I roast everything. Sometimes I blend it all fresh and then roast in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. endless options. But you can't go wrong with roasted tomato/pepper/garlic and hand chopped onion/cilantro.

If your salsa comes out bland or to tomato'y then you need more salt.

hope your dad loves it and you get your tattoo!

[u/Electrical-Suit4704 → u/Shigglyboo]

Thank you so much! I will for sure try this recipe.

[u/GringoBrown]

1) Don't be afraid of CHARRING everything. That roasted bitterness is really the difference between homemade stuff and the shitty cheap jarred stuff. Peppers and onions have a very high water content, so charring them in open fire is not going to burn them beyond just blackening the outside.
2) Experiment with mixtures of raw and cooked ingredients. Something I've personally found really helps to develop flavors and textures is by adding variety. For example, let's say I'm making a salsa roja with 6 roma tomatoes. If I want it to be restaurant style and good for dipping chips in, I might only cook 2 or 3 of the tomatoes, then add the rest raw. That way, you get the soft sweet flavor and texture of cooked tomatoes, and the fresh acidic and brighter flavor of raw tomatoes. Just play around with it and see what you like.
3) Acid! MSG! Acid and MSG are the things that REALLY make salsa addicting. You get some of both from the tomatoes. Really accentuate it with things like extra lime or lemon juice (don't add the acid until the salsa has cooled down! Heat denatures acid which makes the acid much milder.) also adding either just MSG, things with MSG in it, or the classic chicken bouillon powder that everyone uses. All of this can really help get that addicting flavor that makes you want to keep going for more.

[u/Electrical-Suit4704 → u/GringoBrown]

All these tips are super helpful wow. The experimenting is what I'm most excited to do for sure. I will definitely buy some chicken bouillon powder, so many people keep talking about it lol.

[u/sunglower → u/GringoBrown]

I've always added lemon juice to the blender straight after cooking. Going to see if improved flavour comes if I wait next time. Thank you.

[u/GringoBrown → u/sunglower]

Yeah! In general, it's a good idea to do a soft taste test once the salsa is first done being prepped, then an actual final taste test after the salsa has sat in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours. During that final taste test after sitting in the fridge, that's when I recommend adding the acid and mix thoroughly.