Maybe it’s all the Mexican food we ate on our recent trip to the US, but I’ve had enough of the crappy salsa offerings in Germany. Standard German grocery stores tend to stock one brand of salsa, usually Old El Paso. My attempts to find alternatives have not been good. I once joyfully bought up several types of salsa from a small Mexican store near Pariser Platz, only to discover at home that every single one of the jars had expired. A long time ago. (I ate them anyway.) And then this, the last straw:
I don’t remember where I bought it, but I do remember recoiling in horror at the first taste. A glance at the ingredients would have spared me the pain: water, sugar, tomato puree (14%), a couple things that actually belong in salsa, a couple more that don’t, MSG, etc. The jar also proudly states that its contents are preservative-free and thus should be eaten within seven days of opening, which luckily means that I can throw the rest away now rather than guiltily storing it in the back of my fridge for a year.
It’s not like fresh salsa is so hard to make, so I’ve decided to quit whining and start chopping (well, food processing, mostly; I’m no kitchen martyr). In general this is my preferred approach when faced with expat food dilemmas, since we don’t travel back and forth to the US often enough to do our own importing. So far my homemade peanut butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips have proven themselves to be as good as or better than the originals, so why not add salsa to the list?
My first couple attempts at homemade salsa have been good, but they could be better. Anyone have a favorite salsa tip or recipe they’d like to share?
A couple side questions, if anyone wants to humor me with some answers: For those of you who prefer to work with fresh hot peppers (in general, not just for salsa), what do you see as the advantage over dried? Can you taste a big difference? And for those who already make your own salsa, do you de-seed the tomatoes? All the recipes I’ve used so far have told me to do it, but I don’t think things taste substantially worse when I leave them in.
I’m hoping to hit upon the perfect recipe in time for our somewhat-annual Eurovision party in a few weeks. Too bad Germany doesn’t stand a chance again this year.
Not only do I de-seed fresh tomatoes, I de-snot them (in general – for bruschetta, salsa, tabbouleh, whatever).
I like cooked tomatoes in sauces and stuff just fine, but I hate the taste and texture of tomato slime.
When I do de-seed tomatoes, I gobble up all the seeds and snot right then and there. Mmmmm yummy. But usually I’m too lazy to de-seed.
It’d be hard to separate the de-seeding from the de-snotting, no?
I don’t seed tomatoes for salsa, although I might consider it if they were really watery. I often use canned tomatoes. Fresh chiles makes a HUGE difference, but I don’t usually care for the smokey flavor dried imparts. My favorite salsa of all time is this one: http://www.jaybones.com/recipes/jalapeno_sauce/index.htm. It truly is the reason to eat the food you eat it on! It is so good I have been known to eat it with saltines. Can you get cilantro in Munich?
Lara, those roasted jalapeños sound delicious.
I can usually find cilantro here, but sometimes I have to go to more than one store to do it. I’ve tried growing it, but it never seems to last very long under my neglectful watch. It’s a delicate little herb.
I don’t seed the tomatoes. In general, for salsa and guacamole, I find it’s better not to think too hard. Just find the freshest ingredients you can and chop and mix until it tastes good to you. I think fresh cilantro, fresh lime juice from limes rather than a bottle, and a dash of salt make a huge difference in flavor. (I don’t know what you can get for fresh cilantro and limes in Germany though.)
I usually use canned tomatoes, unless the fresh ones are really lovely and ripe. And I’ve just gotten into the habit of seeding them, so my salsa tends toward chunkiness.
I second the cilantro (which I always find in Asian markets), fresh chilies (green Thai if jalapeños are unavailable) and salt. Ground cumin makes a huge difference, too.
And I always stock up on the little cans of chopped green chilies when I’m in the U.S. specifically for use in salsa. It just doesn’t taste right without them.
I use fresh everything, it’s just faster – for me at least. We also had a horrible experience w/the Chio stuff, one bite and we tossed the rest. SO nasty!
I have good luck getting fresh cilantro and peppers at an Asian grocery here. Also, if you get burning skin from chopping fresh chilis, put milk on your skin. Works pretty fast!
fresh peppers are better! tip for your next trip to the US – there is a salsa mix from Mrs. Wages that you add to tomatoes (and whatever else you want to throw in) that really is a good substitute – and it comes in pouches – so easy to carry and store!
I made salsa last summer and had completely forgotten about it. Actually I made two batches but for the second one every single jar opened while I was processing them so I ended up dumping a lot of very watery salsa ingredients. Fresh everything is the best way to do I think. I don’t think I bothered to specifically deseed the tomatoes but I think I didn’t bother scraping whatever juice or seeds ran out while they were getting chopped from the chopping board into the mixing bowl either.
Hmmmm, must open some of the jars I have left and see if my canning attempt worked. I ate so much of it fresh when I made it I couldn’t face it anymore.
Thanks for all the suggestions! The one thing I’ve learned so far in my experimenting is that letting it sit in the fridge for at least a couple hours definitely enhances the flavor. Too bad I’m the impatient type.
I’ve never given canning a try, but it would be nice to whip up a huge batch of salsa and be able to preserve it. Maybe that can be next year’s project. Jeanie, I hope your remaining jars turn out to be tasty!
My problem with chilies is not that they irritate my skin, but that no matter how many times I wash my hands after handling them, my eyes burn when I take out my contacts. Latex gloves are the only solution I’ve found, and I’m not particularly dexterous with them on, which is why I usually end up just resorting to dried chilies.
My latino blood screams, ‘everything fresh and de-seeded!’ but I suppose it’s just a preference and depends on availability. My mother and grandmother would swear on their MASSIVE Holy Bibles that their salsa and guacamole channeled the Holy Spirit itself only when the freshest of the fresh and de-seeded were used.
Great blog, btw.
thank you for the warning. i’ve often looked at those jars and wondered if they can hold something edible. to be fair, the jar salsa from america is not that great either, but at least it’s edible (some of it).
i have my own recipe that is doable in germany thanks to the turkish markets for having cilantro (‘cept everytime i say cilantro they look at me blankly).
this recipe mimics mine almost exactly (i use fresh tomatoes). give it a try if you like restaurant style salsa. often i’m too lazy to use the hand blender so i just eat it pico-de-gallo style.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/01/restaurant-style-salsa/
good luck,
~lytha