We have a whole shelf in our spice cabinet just for hot sauces. Frank’s Wing Sauce, Green Tabasco, Red Tabasco, Valentina, Cholula. And then there are my sauces . . . Extra Hot Cholula, Texas Pete’s Hotter Hot, Maria Lee’s Orange Habanero Sauce. The spicier, the better for me!
We put hot sauces and salsas on everything and have found jarred options that scratch a lot of our itches. But there is one flavor I keep chasing at home—Mexican restaurant-style salsa.
Table salsa from our favorite restaurants is chunky enough to cling to a chip, with the right blend of red onion, garlic, cilantro and jalapeño and a healthy kick of lime and salt. This five-minute salsa is even better than the one we get at our favorite local cantina. The fresh ingredients give it a brightness I miss in jarred salsa. In our house, it tops eggs, enchiladas and tacos—and often becomes an after school snack right out of the Tupperware.
With my food processor, this takes less than five minutes. Roughly chop the onion, cilantro and jalapeño, smash the garlic, and give them a whirl. Then add the tomatoes, lime, salt and sugar. Whirl again and . . . done! Better-than-restaurant salsa at home in nothing flat.
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 medium jalapeño, seeded and roughly chopped
- ½ large red onion, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro, tender stems included
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
- Chop the aromatics. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro and 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Pulse until finely chopped.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Add the tomatoes with their juices, lime juice, remaining teaspoon of salt and sugar.
- Finish the salsa. Pulse until combined but still slightly chunky. Taste with a tortilla chip and adjust the salt as needed.
- Serve. Scoop it up with chips or spoon it over eggs, enchiladas or tacos or serve it with guacamole for a great party spread.
