The Three Salsas I Can't Live Without

[Troutman]

The dictionary defines a salsa as 'a spicy or savory condiment typically made from chopped tomatoes, onions, chili peppers, cilantro, and lime juice'. It can be as fluid, smooth, chunky or chopped in consistency. It can be raw or cooked, it can have a variety of ingredients from chiles to fruits.

Regardless, you can find this condiment, along with the ubiquitous hot sauce, on every Mexican table from breakfast clear though to dinner. In the Troutman house it really boils down to the three that we make, freeze and enjoy year round from just eating plain with chips, to having as a condiment in a variety of dishes.

I thought I'd share our recipes developed over the years. At least for our tastes they are well defined. Feel free to modify to meet yours. Enjoy!!

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SALSA VERDE (GREEN)

Salsa - Troutman’s Salsa Verde.paprikarecipes

2 tablespoons lard
1 white onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
1 pound tomatillos
2 jalapeno peppers (seed remove optional)
3-4 Anaheim and/or poblano peppers
Juice 1-2 limes
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Anaheim chili powder
1 teaspoon Santa Fe chili powder
1 teaspoon Chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

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SALSA ROJO (RED)

Salsa - Troutman’s Salsa Rojo.paprikarecipes

5 medium sized tomatoes (optional: 2-14 ounce cans of Muir Glen Fire Roasted chopped tomatoes)
1-10 can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 white onion cut into quarters
4-5 cloves garlic whole
2 jalapeno or 2 serrano peppers (dependent on your heat tolerance)
1 poblano pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil for brushing

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SALSA DE AGUACADE

Salsa - Troutman's Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa (de aquacade).paprikarecipes

3-5 - medium sized tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roughly chopped
1 - serrano or jalapeño chile, stemmed, white veins and seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 - small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped (stems and all)
2 - ripe avocados, cut in half, pit removed, flesh scooped out.
1 - teaspoon Kosher salt
1 - tablespoon finely chopped white onion

[jayjordan]

Downloaded and imported into Paprika successfully.

[SheilaAnn]

Me, too!

[Purc]

These look great.

[N227GB]

Fresh store bought salsa is good (who buys the stuff in a jar?).
This is way better!

Posted from my phone.

[Michael_in_TX]

2 tablespoons lard

Okay, that wasn't exactly what I was expected when I saw the ingredients to the Salsa Verde! But in all seriousness, I've never found a salsa verde I truly like. Often they are too acidic or tangy. But I think yours might be more to my liking. Definitely will give it a try.

(And I like your take on the salsa roja, too!)

[TripleB]

In the last year, I've been unfortunate to add acid reflux to my old age maladies. I can eat fresh onion in the afternoon and then enjoy popping antiacids. Thank goodness their flavored. But can't eat it in the evening. Recipe (pardon the pun) for disaster.

So, I've found that at night I can survive a roasted tomato salsa with roasted onions.

I make a version of Tomatillo/Avocado salsa that is good. But salsa is like chili. Everyone has a recipe. Nothing like fresh salsas on tacos. Sometimes the salsa is better than the meat.

Thanks for posting your recipes. I always enjoy reading through them.

[captainlee]

Verde is definitely my #1.Definitely going to make the Salsa De Aguacade

[DTro]

Love this!

[Richard Chrz]

These types of posts, and I cannot wait to make these Steve.

But it’s posts like these and so many others that share here that remind you how little you know about cooking, and how impossible it can seem sometimes to really understand how much I “don’t” know about cooking.

I have absolutely no experience in salsas, and really would like to change that. These look and sound excellent.

[jlazar]

Thanks much.

[Draznnl]

Thanks for posting these Steve. I figure I have a 20 to 30% chance of getting mine to look anything like your pictures.