Come summer, I’m always looking for ways to eat lighter fresher meals that don’t require heating up, and Mexican food is a great way to achieve just that. Now, by Mexican food I don’t mean the greasy, cheesy “tex-mex” cuisine popular in fast-food chains (though that is delicious occasionally too). I like to make simpler home style Mexican inspired fare that’s easy to mix and match, and can be customised based on what you have in the fridge.
Salsa is one of those staple recipes that I keep turning to, as it’s really easy to whip up at a moment’s notice and perks up any dish you’re serving.
Just remember this basic formula:
Fruit + Chopped onion + chopped jalapeño + tons of coriander + salt + lime juice
Here I’m sharing the recipes for two simple salsas — pico de gallo (pronounced guy-oh) which is a fresh tomato salsa; and salsa verde, which (as the name suggests), is a green salsa made with tomatillos.
Notes on making pico de gallo:
- Pico de gallo is a fresh tomato salsa that instantly brightens up any dish. It’s so simple to put together that I guarantee you won’t be reaching for jarred salsas any more.
- Use really really good quality tomatoes. In a condiment that’s primarily tomatoes, using anything but the freshest, reddest tomatoes is not an option. Also, make sure to remove the seeds from the tomatoes when chopping so that your pico isn’t extra watery.
- You don’t have to be very precise in chopping everything neatly, but try and chop the onion finely —you don’t want large chunks of raw onion in your mouth.
- Once you mix everything together, let the salsa rest for a bit in the refrigerator before serving. This is so that the flavours can mingle together. Tomatoes do release a fair bit of water though, so leave out the excess water in the bottom of the bowl when serving.
Variations:
~ Add either one of these seasonal fruits in place of the tomatoes: peach, strawberries, pineapple, kiwi.
~ Toss it up with grilled corn.
~ Try this delicious mango salsa recipe, my favourite come summer.
Notes on making salsa verde:
- “Verde” means green, and this salsa is made from green tomatillos. Tomatillos are not the same as green tomatoes — they’re actually not tomatoes at all! Think of them as cousins.
- Tomatillos have husks that need to be removed, and leave quite a sticky residue behind; so make sure to wash them well.
- They’re also kind of sour, and that’s why roasting them intensifies their flavour and makes it more balanced.
- It’s best to let the salsa rest for a bit before serving so that the flavours meld together.
Variations:
~ Add some raw tomatillos along with the roasted ones when blending, leaving it slightly chunky
~ Include half an avocado to make a really creamy salsa verde
~ Add chopped herbs like coriander and parsley for a chimichurri inspired version
These salsas taste delicious with anything that would do good with an acidic spicy kick.
Serve salsa on tacos, in burrito bowls, or scoop it up with tortilla chips. It also tastes great spooned over enchiladas, quesadillas, or over grilled meat/veg, and would go deliciously with barbecued meat and grilled fish in the summer.
- 6 tomatoes, small diced (seeds removed)
- 1 cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 green chilli or jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped (use less if sensitive to spice)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- Salt, to taste
- ½ packed cup finely chopped coriander
- 6-8 tomatillos
- ½ red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 green chilli or jalapeño, roughly chopped (remove seeds if sensitive to spice)
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup fresh coriander (leaves and stems)
- 2-3 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt, to taste
- Combine chopped tomatoes, onion, green chilli, lime juice and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the chopped coriander and mix. Taste and adjust, adding more lime juice or salt as required. Using the back of a large spoon, mush the contents of the bowl around a bit — this will release the juices and help the flavours mingle.
- For best flavour, let the pico de gallo sit for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
- Separate the husks from the tomatillos and rinse well to remove any stickiness. Using either a skillet or with the broiler function of your oven, lightly char the tomatillos. The skin will char, and turn into a deeper army green. Remove and let it cool down. Chop into quarters.
- Purée the tomatillos with onion, chilli, garlic, and coriander in a food processor or blender. Keep the salsa slightly chunky if desired. Add salt and lime juice, tasting and adjusting according to preference. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving to allow the flavours to mingle.
Did you make these salsa recipes?
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