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    Home » Dips and Spreads

    Quick Homemade Salsa Fresca

    Published: Jun 1, 2020 by Poppy Hudson

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Homemade Salsa Fresca can be yours in a snap with this go-to recipe. Throw it together, and it will elevate even the most basic meals to party status.

    Best Mexican style party dip.
    Jump to:
    • 📋 Ingredients
    • 🔪 Steps
    • 🥣 Equipment 
    • 🌶 How spicy is it?
    • 🍍 More Salsa recipes
    • 📖 Recipe

    📋 Ingredients

    I love how this salsa, made from all fresh ingredients, sings with flavor. Fully ripe, sweet tomatoes are essential. Colorful peppers, red onion, and cilantro make the salsa festive, and tart lime juice brings all the flavors forward.

    Ingredients for Best Salsa Fresca recipe.

    🔪 Steps

    Here is the best part of the recipe. First, ripe tomatoes are seeded and hand-cut to create just the right texture. Then they are salted and drained while the rest of the ingredients are prepped.

    Salted chopped tomatoes drained for salsa.

    You might be thinking, why take the extra step to salt and drain the tomatoes? Well, removing most of the liquid from the fresh chopped tomatoes helps concentrate the sweet tomato's flavor.

    Drain juice from tomatoes for best salsa.

    Once drained, the tomatoes soak up zingy lime juice, which adds just the right amount of tartness. Thus, you won’t have to settle anymore for that watery, bland salsa sold at the store.

    🥣 Equipment 

    • Flat-edged knife
    • Small serrated knife
    • Fine mesh strainer

    An ordinary sharp, flat-edged knife is fine for mincing peppers and onions. However, if you want your tomato dice to be fast and beautiful, a knife designed for slicing tomatoes is helpful.

    I especially like the Kai Komachi 4-inch Tomato knife and have had mine for five years now. In addition to being ideal for slicing thin-skinned delicate produce, it easily handles the tough skin of a lime.

    The strainer doesn't have to be fancy as long as it has a fine mesh.

    🌶 How spicy is it?

    Guess what? That's up to you. You can easily adjust the spiciness from mild to kick-ass hot. But maybe you're wondering how? So here's a guide with suggestions on choosing your peppers:

    Picture guide to common peppers mild to spicy.

    Choose jalapeno peppers and remove the seeds for gentle heat. Or, mince Serrano or Thai chilies to make a boldly spicy dip. If you want your salsa flaming off the charts, use habanero peppers and include all the seeds.

    Even if you have a busy schedule, you can still have the brightest bowl of spicy salsa on your table in 20 minutes. Now I think that’s 20 minutes well spent. How about you?

    The only thing left to do is decide what you want to put your Homemade Salsa Fresca on. Perhaps you would like to try these make-ahead Avocado Black Bean Quesadillas. Go all the way with a dollop of the Best Vegan Sour Cream, and you won't be sorry.

    🍍 More Salsa recipes

    • Habanero pepper and yellow fruit salsa in two hollowed out pineapple shells.
      Pineapple Mango Habanero Salsa
    • Fire roasted green salsa and tomatillo recipe.
      Fire Roasted Green Salsa

    I would be thrilled to know if you tried this recipe! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #poppyswildkitchenrecipes on Instagram. Aloha!

    📖 Recipe

    Hand cut Mexican style party dip.

    Quick Homemade Salsa Fresca

    Hand-cut fresh ingredients make all the difference in this 20-minute Homemade Salsa Fresca. The end result is a perfectly textured, vibrant salsa that has just the level of spiciness you want. A single recipe makes 2 cups of salsa.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    12 Servings
    Calories: 10kcal
    Author: Poppy Hudson

    Equipment

    • Flat-edged knife
    • Small serrated knife
    • Fine mesh strainer

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz. ripe tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 2 TB minced red onion
    • 1 TB minced sweet yellow pepper
    • ¼ cup minced jalapeno, serrano or other hot peppers
    • ¼ cup sliced cilantro
    • 1 TB lime juice
    • ¼ tsp. grated black pepper

    Instructions

    • Cut tomatoes in half and remove seeds. Dice into ⅛-inch pieces. A finely serrated knife is really helpful. Place the chopped tomatoes in a small bowl with the salt and give it a stir. Set the salted tomatoes aside.
    • Mince and add the following to a larger bowl: red onion, sweet yellow pepper, and spicy peppers of choice. Slice and add the cilantro.
    • Spoon salted tomatoes into a small strainer and firmly press with the back of a spoon to remove excess juice.
    • Add drained tomatoes to the bowl with all the remaining ingredients. Adjust salt, pepper, and lime juice if needed. 
    • Spoon into serving bowls and serve right away or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

    Notes

    Recipe tips
    Wear gloves and/or wash your hands immediately after chopping very spicy peppers.
    Sweet, ripe tomatoes are essential to this recipe. They provide the best flavor and color as well as texture. Taking the time to remove seeds, chop individually, salt, and drain the tomatoes is worth the effort. No more bland or watery salsas!
    Mild salsa - use jalapeno peppers and discard all the seeds.
    Medium salsa - use Serrano peppers.
    Hot salsa - use Thai chilis.
    Extra-hot salsa - use habaneros chilies and include the seeds. 
    Makes 2 cups of salsa.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 10kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 344IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @PoppysWildKitchen or tag #poppyswildkitchen!

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