Ok....I had a great fish dish the other night with something called garden fresh salsa. It had baby zucchini, corn, tomatoes, onioins and some other ingrdients. I loved it and want to try to make some different salsas to go with meals when I get home as a way spice up veggies. Any basic ways to making a salsa?

Sure! Got a food processor?

Chunky salsa (pico de gallo)

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 fresh chile peppers, mild or hot, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped red or yellow bell pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
salt and pepper, to taste

PREPARATION:
Combine ingredients in a glass or other non-reactive bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.


Mango salsa

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup diced fresh mango
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, drained & diced
1/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients and chill. Serve with grilled fish or chicken.
Makes 1 1/2 cups of mango salsa

Tomatilla Salsa

INGREDIENTS:
2 Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped
1 pound fresh tomatillos, peeled, stems removed, about 10 to 12
2 fresh Serrano chiles, cut in half
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1/4 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:
Pulse tomatillos in food processor until coarsely chopped. Add peppers and next 3 ingredients; pulse until small dice, but do not over process. Pour into a serving bowl. Stir in the olive oil, lime juice, and salt until well blended.

Pineapple salsa

cup finely chopped fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons finely chopped purple onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper, optional
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
dash ground red pepper, cayenne or chipotle
2 teaspoons finely minced jalapeno pepper, optional
juice of 1 fresh lime, about 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients; cover and refrigerate for an hour or more to blend flavors. Serve with grilled or broiled fish, chicken. Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

Corn Salsa

2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1/3 cup chopped purple onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

PREPARATION:
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving. Makes about 3 cups corn salsa.

Zesty Artichoke Salsa Dip

1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained
1 3 oz. can sliced mushrooms
1 4-1/4 oz. can chopped black olives
2 Tbs. minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. chopped pimento
1/2 cup canola oil
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 tsp. celery salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

PREPARATION:
Place artichoke hearts, mushrooms and pimento in work bowl of food processor. Process just until finely chopped, about 8 pulses, scraping down sides after 4 pulses. Do not overprocess. Place mixture in a non-metal bowl

Nothing too specific, really - you just chop away, and season until you're happy with it. You'll typically use ingredients that give you a balance of flavours - almost all salsas use either red or white onion, something acidic like lemon or lime juice, and good seasoning. I always use sea salt, cracked pepper and often cilantro - you could use garlic, chiles, cayenne pepper, basil, etc. It just really depends on what kind of salsa you want to make. I make fresh salsas all the time, and it really is as simple as combining ingredients. It helps to keep everything chopped quite small, and in uniform pieces - the flavours balance better, and it's a little easier to eat.

My staples this summer have been a fresh tomato and cilantro salsa, a corn and black bean, and a corn, basil and tomato salsa that I serve alongside salmon or grilled chicken (the baby zucchini sounds like a great addition!!). The sky is the limit, really!

Oh, and once you make up your salsa, be sure to let it sit for a little while at room temperature before serving - this lets the ingredients harmonize a bit and does a lot to bring everything together.

I make a fresh salsa, which is really just pico de gallo ... chopped tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, onion. I sometimes add other stuff (lime juice, garlic). I also take store-bought salsa and dice up any salsa-like ingredients to add to it.

I dip both baked tortilla chips and veggies in the salsa. I use it on fish, steak, tacos, baked potatoes, burgers, and chicken.

Glory, those recipes look great. I never knew what to use mango or pineapple salsa for before!

My mom makes salsa in the blender but I can't stand it that way...

I personally like making salsa with a molcajete (http://www.mexgrocer.com/9117.html) where you grind the tomatoes, chiles and tomatoes by hand. Although the salsa you are talking about sounds like just tiny veggies chopped together. Glory does have a lot of good ideas. You can use your imagination and see what happens. Also it might be good to use your veggie salsa creation to top seafood as well.

Traditional salsa and picante sauce are similar. When I was a poor college student, I would make big batches of pinto beans from scratch (from the dried beans) and eat a bowl mixed w/ Pace Picante Sauce. Yummy, healthy and CHEAP!

I was thinking a good salsa would also make a nice salad topping in place of dressing? What do you think?

I've done that before Dolly. It is pretty good. Also something I did the other day was use my bean salad as a topping for a salad instead of dressing. It was very good.

I frequently use salsa (bottled or my friend's homemade) as salad dressing. Mixed with a little lf sour cream, it's awesome. I esp like it on what I call a faux-taco salad. It's just a greens based salad with tomato, avocado, onion, and warmed up black beans. I add the salsa and sour cream and stir it all together - grosses my DH out - and I'm in heaven. A warm tortilla on the side is good, but not essential.

I use salsa most of the time on my salads anymore. I also like to put beans on there. It makes a very filling salad.