Making your own Salsa is a delicious way to preserve those late summer flavours when tomatoes are in season and plentiful. With authentic ingredients and a few tips and tricks, you can proudly serve your own homemade Salsa at the next fiesta.
Many years ago I made my first batch of Salsa. I can’t remember where I found the recipe but it was terrible! I can’t really blame the recipe though, it called for coriander so I used coriander seed. I then discovered that coriander is what North Americans call cilantro. It must’ve been a European recipe. So I consulted with my (then) brother-in-law who was running a new Mexican food company. He said roast your red peppers and use lots of fresh cilantro. The next batch was excellent!
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This recipe was included in a kit at a local farm stand. They had an abundance of tomatoes and were selling “make your own salsa” kits with everything needed. I was sent a message from one of the customers that said her husband proclaimed it was the best salsa he’s ever had. And since my taste testers all gave it two thumbs up, I’m pretty confident that you will too.
What are the best tomatoes for making Salsa?
Well, there isn’t a right and wrong answer to this question. Typically the preferred type are plum tomatoes which have a lower water content and fewer seeds. Think Roma, San Marzano or Big Mamma. But, in all honesty, the best kind are any variety with good flavour that are freshly picked. Store bought are usually (if not always) picked green and artificially ripened so if you’re going to go to the trouble of making your own Salsa, do yourself a favour and get your tomatoes from a farm or market. Or your own garden.
Don’t worry about your Salsa being too liquidy if you don’t use plum tomatoes. Most of the extra liquid is left behind when you’re chopping and since you’re cooking everything before canning, it will reduce the longer you cook it. If you’re using fairly watery and seedy tomatoes you may need a few extra. And I have a secret. Tomato paste. More on that later.
Roasting the peppers is the step that really takes this Salsa to the next level. Trust me, it’s worth the time. The easiest way to do this is on the barbecue. Just toss the whole peppers on the grill over high heat and watch what happens. Keep turning them until they’re well charred all over. Roasting peppers brings out their best flavour and sweetness. Next time you have some peppers, give this a try. Taste a fresh pepper, then taste a roasted pepper. You’ll see.
You can also roast your peppers in the oven. To get the charred exterior place them on a baking sheet under the broiler and watch them carefully. Once the peppers are removed from the heat, place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. They’ll deflate and continue to soften. And they’ll be super easy to peel.
When they’re cool enough to handle, cut them open, remove stems, seeds and pith (the white part) and scrape off the skin. It’s ok if there are a few charred bits left behind but if they bother you, when the salsa is simmer away they float to the top so you can easily pick them out.
The tomatoes need to be skinned and seeded as well. The easiest way to peel tomatoes are to plunge them into boiling water for about a minute, then put them in a big bowl of ice water. If the skin doesn’t split on its own, use a sharp paring knife to cut into the skin and you should be able to peel it all off with your fingers. It’s hard to estimate how many tomatoes you’ll need because there is a wide variance in tomato sizes. 9 cups of chopped tomatoes is about the right amount
You’ll want to use a huge cutting board for chopping, preferably one with a ridge around the outside to catch the liquid. Chop up all the tomatoes, the roasted peppers and some onions. Feel free to chop to the size you want. If you prefer your Salsa extra chunky, chop everything into larger pieces.
Hot or mild Salsa?
Well it’s up to you. And to the peppers you choose. Hot peppers can be tricky. Sometimes they aren’t as hot as you expect. And sometimes you need rubber gloves to cut them up. If you aren’t sure, cut a tiny bit of pepper and touch it with your tongue. Usually jalapeños aren’t really hot. But they add authentic flavour to the Salsa so make sure to use them, even if you’re making Mild Salsa. For medium salsa, add a few hot peppers to the batch and taste as you go, adding until you get the amount of heat your prefer. Dicing them very small is helpful so you don’t get a big bite of really hot pepper. If you like super hot salsa, leave some seeds in. And use more hot peppers.
Once everything is chopped, add the rest of the ingredients, except the cilantro and let the mixture simmer over medium low heat.
It takes quite a while for a large canner pot full of water to come to a boil so you might want to get that going while the Salsa is cooking.
Back to the tomato paste. It’s not cheating. But depending on the type of tomatoes you use and how much your mixture reduces, you may want to add some tomato paste. Maybe you like your Salsa thicker. Maybe you don’t. If you prefer a thinner salsa that’s like Pico de Gallo, leave the tomato paste out. If you’ve used paste tomatoes and your salsa is already fairly thick you might only need one small can.
When the Salsa has reached the perfect consistency, chop up lots of fresh cilantro and stir it in. Don’t worry about people who don’t like cilantro. It has to be in Salsa. It has to.
Why do you have to boil the jars of Salsa?
Canning is a way of preserving stuff for a long time. Boiling the jars ensures there’s no bacteria left behind and helps to get a really tight seal. When the jars of Salsa start to cool, the pressure changes inside the jars causing a vacuum effect. Thus that ‘pop’ you hear when the seal on top of the jar is complete. I love that sound!
If you have a canner pot with the rack to lower the jars into the water that’s the best way to do this. But, you can improvise by using a double boiler if it’s high enough to cover the jars completely, or you can even put a wash cloth in the bottom of a pot and lower the jars carefully into the water. Just to keep the jars from being directly on the bottom of the pot.
Basically, you need to start with clean jars and lids. And always use new seals. Sometimes recipes say to boil the jars before filling them but an easy way to prep your jars is to run them through a cycle in the dishwasher. Plan for the cycle to end around the time you’re ready to fill the jars. They’ll be clean and sterilized and hot.
Carefully add hot salsa to the jars, making sure you leave a little space at the top. At least 1/4 inch. Wipe the tops of each jar to make sure you don’t interfere with the seal by leaving some salsa on the edge. You can actually buy a funnel that’s made for filling canning jars. It has a wide mouth that fits perfectly inside the jars.
Most canning lids and seals now say not to boil before using. But a quick dip in your canning pot will help soften the rubber seal. Use tongs to dip them in the hot water and place them onto the jars. Then add the rings and tighten.
Once the water in the canner pot has come to a boil, lower the jars in, making sure they’re totally submerged, and boil for about 10 minutes if you’re using 250 ml jars, or 15 if you’re using larger jars. You will have to do this in batches because this Salsa recipe makes about 12 cups and you don’t want to crowd the jars in the pot.
Let the jars cool on the counter, then store them in the pantry. They’ll keep for at least a year or longer. Just in time to make your next batch.
If you make this Salsa, consider leaving a comment or rating below. Here’s the recipe:
Salsa
Ingredients
- 9 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes approximately 12 large tomatoes
- 3-4 diced onions about 3 cups
- 1-3 red chili peppers or other small hot peppers use more if desired for very hot salsa
- 3-4 large sweet red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 4 jalapeno peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 limes, juiced approx 1/4 cup
- 4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 small cans tomato paste 156 ml or 6 oz cans - use one can for a thinner salsa
- 1 large handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Roast peppers on barbecue or under broiler until skins are charred and peppers are soft. Scrape skin off when cool and remove seeds and pith. Chop.
- Plunge tomatoes into large pot of boiling water for 1 minute, then remove to ice water bath. Peel, remove seeds and chop into desired size of pieces.
- Dice onions. Finely dice hot peppers (if using). 1 hot pepper is ok for mild salsa.
- Add all chopped vegetables to large pot. Add salt, sugar, cumin, garlic, tomato paste and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer for about 15 minutes. Salsa will reduce and thicken as it simmers.
- Chop large handful of cilantro and stir into to salsa right before adding to jars.
- Add hot salsa to jars, leaving at least ¼ inch space at the top. Wipe tops of jars.
- Dip seals for a few seconds in hot water to soften. Place on jars, screw on rings without over tightening.
- Prepare large canner pot for boiling jars. Bring water to a boil, then add jars until fully submerged and boil for 10 minutes for smaller jars or up to 15 for larger jars. Continue in batches until all jars are canned.
- Cool on counter, undisturbed until lids pop. Lids should be inverted when properly sealed.
Well done, Marci, love the pictures and the detailed step by step instructions.
Love it.
Keep it UP !!!
Wow, this is great stuff. I’m going to try this for sure! Where the heck did you get Cilantro near Old Cut?
Wow, this is great stuff! I’m definitely going to give this a try. Where does one get cilantro near Old Cut?
Well, I plant some herbs in my garden so I always have what I need. But I must give a shout out to Port Rowan Foodland because they have a surprising selection of fresh herbs and local ingredients!
I’m trying this Marci. We have a garden, so no problem with tomatoes and I’ll be sure to bbq grill the peppers- I’ve never tried. Thanks for the recipe.
Looks awesome Marci. I am also guessing if you had too many tomatoes then you have too much salsa and the right thing to do is to give your sister a jar. If you don’t, I will tell mom. ha ha