Salsa Roja
A good salsa roja recipe is something we should all have in our back pocket. There are an unlimited number of ways to make salsa, and I am all about exploration and creativity, but for me no salsa platter is complete without a simple, perfect salsa roja. This is the foundation from which you branch out to your mango habanero or your creamy avocado. All those salsa variations are delicious, but after each chip dipped in one of those experiments, I find myself coming back to the good old salsa roja to reset the palate.
The other reason I like to have a good salsa roja recipe is that, frankly, I hate buying salsa in a jar. Not only is jar salsa expensive and the quality low, it also adds a glass jar to our perpetually too-full trash can (one of those buslife resources that we are constantly trying to manage). And with a recipe this simple, there is really no reason to buy jar salsa again. It is cheaper, it is tastier, and it doesn’t create another piece of garbage–can’t beat that.
Salsa Roja
Ingredients:
5 roma tomatoes, seeded
1 cup white onion
½ cup cilantro, loosely packed
2 jalapenos (seeded if you are sensitive to heat)
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup water
Salt, to taste
Directions:
Begin by seeding the roma tomatoes. Coarsely chop the remaining ingredients and toss it all in the food processor. If you are sensitive to heat, be sure to remove the seeds from the chiles.
Blend in the food processor until the desired consistency is reached. You can leave it a bit chunky, if that is how you like your salsa–I like it well-blended.
Taste, and add additional salt or lime if desired.
Serve with lots of chips and some good, cold, Mexican lagers.
Enjoy!
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