This just came in from a reader:
Hi Nick,
The place I will be working around July 4 is having a salsa contest and my Cuban co-worker vows to win the contest. Do you have a recipe to recommend so I will have the bragging rights? ~ Loyal HSB Reader
Winning Salsa Recipe?
14 responses to “Winning Salsa Recipe?”
You bet & happy to help out! Just fixed this yesterday at the firehouse. You will need a grill though, charcoal & wood being better than gas. We’ll have this at least a couple of times a month from now to the end of fall.
Ingredients: Tomatoes, Carrots, Sweet Onion, Garlic Bulb, Chiles, Cilantro sprig. Amounts discussed below.
Directions: Fire the grill up. When good & hot, put on the Carrots, Onion (halved), and garlic bulb. Give them about a 10 minute head start, turning as necessary. Put HEAVY grill marks on them- you cannot over do them. Move them to one side & put on the tomatoes & chiles (de-stemmed & de-seded). The chiles won’t take long at all to char. Throw the entire mix in the blender & serve while still warm. Simple and outstanding.
Tomatoes- Romas are best as they are meatier and stand up to the grilling better without bursting and making a mess. You should have two tomatoes for every one large chile. Tomatoes are the main ingredient in a salsa so don’t be cheap!
Chiles- I like to use a mix, with good New Mex being dominant. Anaheims, Big Jims, Hatch if you can find them, and any along those lines for the bulk of the roasted chile flavor. I also use a poblano, a few jalapenos, and occasionally a very small bell. Hard to have too many chiles so if your ration of 2 to 1 (tomatoes to chiles) starts to shrink a bit, don’t worry about it.
Garlic- I use a whole bulb (or two!) and let the fire burn off most of the paper husk. After it cools a bit, you can pull the cloves off & drop them into the blender. When in a hurry, I’ve dropped the entire bulb in and fished out the fibrous root cap later. Roasted garlic will be a bit gooey.
Hope this helps & best of luck! This isn’t as good if left to cool, so serve immediately. Folks are usually very suprised about having a ‘hot’ salsa but it is much more flavorful this way.
Sounds good jim. ill have to try and keep the meat off the grill long enough to add salsa ingredients.
That sounds delicious! I have one where I blacken the tomatos in a cast iron skillet, but the smoke in yours sounds great!
Also, loyal reader, this recipe for 5 Pepper Salsa https://www.hotsauceblog.com/hotsaucearchives/recipe-five-pepper-salsa/ has won several salsa competitions, including one office competition recently in Houston that I was made aware of. Good luck!
Jim – this just goes to show that the grill makes everything better!
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We’ll even do breakfast on it 🙂 No finer meal at the FD then something involving dead burnt animal parts 🙂
Love them burnt animal parts!
I have a salsa recipe that is so close to that served by so many Mexican restaurants across the country. You know what I mean, those places that set a bowl of salsa and chips down in front of you as soon as you sit down. if anybody is interested, let me know and I’ll post it.
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Of course we’re interested!
I’m interested, I love those salsas.
Hello!
This sounds like an excellent recipe – One question though, I see you give a 2 tomato to 1 pepper ratio, but what about carots and onion? What’s a good mix here?
Thanks!
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Thanks! The onions & carrots are pretty much to taste. I use about 3-4 large carrots & one large onion. More or less won’t hurt either way.
I AM LOOKING FOR A GOOD SALSA RECEIPE..THERE IS A RESTURANT HERE IN TOWN WHICH SERVES A GOOD SALSA BUT, GUESS WHAT THEY WANT LET ME KNOW WHAT ALL IS IN IT..YOU CAN SEE THE GARLIC SALT, BLACK PEPPER , AND JALAPANOES PEPPERS AND OF COURSE THE TOMATOES..IT IS PUREED A LITTLE..BUT, AS FAR AT THE SEASONING I CANT TELL IF IT HAS CILINTRO IN IT OR NOT…OR CUMIN? CAN ANYONE HELP ME OUT HERE…THANKS
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Please post the recipe. I have just finished canning another batch of salsa that I am not in love with and I am desperately seeking a good recipe.
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Hey Andrea, have you ever tried Daniels Fire Roast Salsa? He has a great line, one is better than the next, I highly recommend it!!!!