[Suzanne 3FC]

Salsa is a great way to add a lot of flavor and texture to many foods, for very few calories and is usually fat free. Do you make your own, or do you buy it? Do you have any special uses for it?


I love fish, cooked on a charcoal grill, and topped with a chunky salsa. I also love a salad with tomatoes, onions, cheddar cheese, and a thin salsa as the dressing.

I recently bought a brand of salsa that I had never tried before, called Frontera Kitchens , which I found at Walmart. It was one of the best salsas I've ever tasted. I googled it and learned that it is made by Rick Bayless, who is famous for his Mexican cookbooks and restaurants.

Does anyone else have a favorite salsa to recommend? Any recipes?

[Mel]

I've been buying the fresh salsas at Sam's Club (Mi Abuela brand). The fresh mango and the cucumber are my two favorites. I eat them on just about everything- fish, salad, meats, eggs...anything that I don't put sf syrup on!

Mel

[LindaT]

My current favorites are all from Trader Joe's. One is pineapple salsa,the other is chipolte salsa and the third is a roasted garlic salsa - this one has big slices of yummy roasted garlic in it.

I also use it on salads, but usually mix it with a tablespoon of low fat ranch dressing.

While it's not a salsa, Ruthie gave me a marvelous mango chutney recipe that is great with fish. I'm having it this weekend with tuna burgers!

As far as recipes, this Mango salsa is very good. http://seafood.allrecipes.com/az/Srd...hTrpiclSls.asp

[Suzanne 3FC]

I wish we had a Trader Joe's. Everyone talks about all the great things they have there.

Wow, that recipe looksk good, I'm going to give that a try!

Mel, I've never tried the fresh salsa at Sams, but I'm going to have to look for that. I had a mango/cucumber salsa on fish at a restaurant not too long ago, and it was really good. Very summery and fresh.

[cadwell125]

i love mango salsa. maybe i will make my own, but the one at trader joe's is good so i can't complain too much. i love most all salsa really. i put grips of it on anything i can. when i am not too lazy i make my own salsa. it's great to have fresh salsa. most regular store bought ones i don't like all that much except in marinades.
here's my recipe:
half-bunch torn cilantro (or less if you're not a cilantro person like me)
one medium chopped onion
two chopped jalapenos
juice from two large limes
juice from half a lemon
salt to taste
diced firm avocado if desired
four diced medium tomatoes
mix it up and serve! the remainder has to be refrigerated of course, but i think it's best right after it's made, without chilling.

[Rowan Bailey]

I make a great Tropical Salsa, it can be used over fish, with chips or sometimes I mix it with rice and serve it over grilled chicken.....

1 large Hothouse Cucumber, peeled and seeded, let sit in salt for about twenty minutes to drain excess liquid and rinse well before using
1 diced papaya (I am lazy and I will buy the presliced)
1 diced mango (same as above)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 tsp sambel oelek (chili paste - spicy)
1/4 c chopped cilantro
splash of lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste(really taste because it can be naturally salty)
Toss all together lightly, this will really make some juice, so don't worry if you think that it is too dry...

You can cut back on the chiil paste, it has heat, but isn't spicy like when you eat jalapeno's, it is a heat

I use it sparingly when I am watching the carbs.....but it can also be used as part of a salad or over a baked potato.....

Yum!!

[JuliaTN]

I have never found a "store bought" salsa that I really enjoyed eating so I started buying to-go containers from my favorite Mexican restaurant. I can make my own fajita/burritos etc and have it taste like restaurant style without all the fat that goes into them at the actual restaurant. Best food thing I've done in a long time because I LOVE Mexican food.

[mnemosyne]

I love salsa - and my favorite is usually a fresh tomato salsa with a recipe similar to the one posted upthread: fresh tomatoes, red onion (or a Vidalia or other sweet onion), cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and/or chopped pickled jalapeno-flavored cactus (or pimentos or whatever), maybe green pepper, maybe cucumber - essentially, whatever is on hand.

I think that the flavors need time to mingle - the problem with the taste after a long refridgeration is that tomatoes don't like refridgeration - but I usually take it out of the fridge for a bit before eating to take the chill off.

And I tried strawberry salsa for the first time this spring and really enjoyed it. A basic recipe:

Ingredients
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup finely shredded fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 pint (1 cup) fresh strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 4 hours. Fifteen minutes before serving, remove the salsa from the refrigerator, so it loses some of its chill.

[Mel]

Darn! Sam's Club didn't have the fresh salsa today

That strawberry salsa sounds wonderful...too bad strawberries aren't in season anymore.

Mel

[Gardenwife]

Salsa ROCKS! I love fruit salsas, especially. Here's my mango salsa recipe:

Gardenwife's Mango Salsa (double batch)

2 cups diced tomatoes*
1 cup finely diced red onions
1-2 finely diced jalapeno (with or without seeds & inside flesh)
1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups chopped mango (about 1½ mangoes)
4 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Juice of one medium lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)

* I use grape tomatoes in the winter since regular hydroponic ones are pretty mealy and don't have much flavor. I like to remove the pulp from the tomatoes before dicing them. If using a food processor, just a couple scant pulses will do the job; any more and you might end up with puree.

Directions:

Dice ingredients and fold them together in a large glass bowl. Cover and let stand at least a half hour before serving. Refrigerate if not eaten within a few hours. Best eaten within a day or so. Great on chips, or over chicken or grilled fish.

[Jasmyn]

I love salsa, but cilantro triggers severe headaches for some reason and I rarely find a good store-bought that doesn't contain it, so I make my own with a can of white and yellow corn, green and/or red bell peppers, and onions cooked and slightly browned in a touch of olive oil, a can of black beans, and a couple of chopped tomatos and hot peppers (I like to shop at the farmer's market, so the types vary as to what is available, though romas seem easiest to use). I mix in a bit of garlic, parsley, white cooking wine.

That's not a real recipe, but rather ingredients because I never measure. We eat the salsa with baked tortilla chips-- it is so thick and chunky, my kids are satisfied with it as a meal. We also use it on soft wraps with grilled chicken and a bit of lettuce. Yum One of my fav. things to have.

[Gardenwife]

That sounds *wonderful*. With the beans in there with the veggies, it really is a meal in itself. Gotta make that!

[miss_elisha]

The best store-bought salsa I have found is a brand called Arriba. They make a bunch of different flavors (Garlic & Cilantro is my favorite, but almost too hot for me!). It's rather thin, close to restaurant-made salsa. They also make an Avocado Mango salsa that is a little weird to eat on it's own, but it makes a wonderful addition to chicken or fish dishes. Chicken grilled in avocado-mango salsa with a little garlic and an onion makes a wonderful fajita. It's a little hard to find (at least around here, but lots of things are hard to find around here), but definitely worth the search. My boyfriend and I are addicted to this salsa now--he says we're "salsa snobs!"

[Betani]

There is a local brand around us that is branching out and is now in several states. If you ever see a brand called "Hair of the Ferret", try it sometime. It's my favorite!

[Gardenwife]

Mrs. Renfro's habanero salsa really kicks some . I can't eat it, no way. Howie likes it, though. They have a bunch of different flavors - check this out! The raspberry chipotle sure sounds good. I like the sweeter ones. Newman's Own pineapple salsa is tasty, a tomato-based one with pineapple added.