Salsa is the perfect complement for so many dishes, in my opinion. I like to put it on eggs, chicken, beef, salads or just eat it plain with a chip or two. Jenn likes to make messy salsa tacos using flour or corn tortillas.
While living in Texas many years ago, I was taught how to make a fresh, basic, Mexican salsa from a neighbor who hailed from Zacatecas, Mexico, located in the north-central part of the country. There were many a lazy Saturday afternoon back in those days when I would hang out with my neighbor and watch him make salsa and grill up carne asada as we shot the breeze over a few Corona’s.
I’ve modified the recipe ever so slightly over the years, but the original framework is all there. My neighbor would boil his vegetables, I found that I like to roast them in the oven as I find this is more flavorful. Many times I roast the vegetables on my charcoal grill with a bit of hickory smoke and Jenn and I LOVE the flavor, so you’ll see that I added Liquid Smoke as an option for this 100% indoor version of the recipe which adds a really nice flavor. This is really easy to make and keeps 7-10 days in the fridge. Just plan ahead to allow enough time for the salsa to chill. Salsa really tastes better on the cold to room temp side. OK. I’m hungry now….off to the kitchen!
- 6 roma tomatoes, quartered
- 2 small onions, quartered
- 2 cloves of garlic, halved
- ½ jalapeno, seeded
- 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp. salt
- Juice from an entire fresh lime
- 2 tsps. liquid smoke (optional)
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Place tomatoes, onions, garlic and jalapeno in a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish.
- Roast vegetables for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove vegetables from oven and place in a blender or food processor.
- Add salt, cilantro, lime juice and liquid smoke.
- Blend to desired consistency.
- Flavor is best if you allow the salsa to cool a couple of hours before you serve.
I love a good roasted salsa! The idea of roasting over charcoal is pure genius. It’s a bit cold right now but I might try some fireplace roasting so my wife and I can do this for the Super Bowl. HAWKS!!!!
It is so good with wood chips over charcoal. It doesn’t take much to get that nice, smokey flavor- the tomatoes soak the smoke right up. Liquid Smoke, in my opinion, is a pretty good alternative. We’re in Upstate, NY and it is c-o-l-d! That actually makes Gary want to grill even more! We even host an annual winter bbq if all his buddies are on board. They’re nuts! lol!
My go-to all-year salsa involves all these same principles, but with some canned ingredients – this just looks so amazing! I can’t wait for my fresh summer veggies to give this a shot
I have a salsa recipe that uses Rotel (diced tomatoes and green chilies) which is my personal favorite. Oops! I didn’t just say that 😉 I love so many varieties of salsa- even ingredients from a can is great! It’s like the different varieties of pizza. Sometimes I want the big floppy NY style pizza, sometimes thick-crusted Sicilian style, and sometimes I like a frozen Totinos! lol! A pinch of cumin and/or chili powder can add a nice touch as well.