Restaurant Style Salsa that will keep you coming back for more! Bright and intensely flavored with garden-fresh tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, onions, cumin seeds, oregano, cilantro, sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lime just before serving.
We LOVE Mexican fare and could eat it every day! The colors, aroma, and freshness of the ingredients alone are intoxicating but then the flavor kicks in and I’ll wave my white flag.
carte du jour
What makes this a Restaurant Style Salsa?
It’s awesome 😂! There’s more to it though we’re cooking this salsa up in order to develop deep flavor and the consistency which makes it perfect for coating your favorite chips.
Be sure to check out our How To on Blanching Tomatoes! An easy way to remove tomato skins for a perfectly well-balanced salsa.
What’s the Difference Between Salsa and Pico de Gallo?
While the ingredients may be identical, what sets these two salsas apart is their texture and whether they’re cooked or uncooked. Salsa means “sauce” in Spanish leaving it wide open to representations.
Uncooked Salsa, typically known as Picollo De Gallo, salsa cruda or salsa fresca is made with an uncooked fusion of distinctly chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, sea salt, and plenty of lime juice.
Cooked Salsa, can take on many different forms it has a thinner viscosity that’s luxurious in texture and open to interpretation. Roasted, smoked, or grilled vegetables, fruits, and herbs are all game and can be tossed in at will!
The salsa that you find in the grocery store is cooked at low temperatures to make them shelf-stable. Which is convenient but nowhere near the amazing quality of whipping up your own fresh batch.
How long does homemade salsa stay fresh?
Keep homemade salsa in a tightly sealed container in your refrigerator up to 4-6 days. You can also freeze in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags for 10-12 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, you may need to cook off excess water due to freezing. Cook down until it’s reached the desired texture.
Chef’s Tip: Always remember that recipes are GUIDELINES (not yelling). We’re not talking baking here, although I could get sidetracked. Back to recipes, they’re guidelines they give you an idea of how a dish is created and from that recipe, you can tweak, adapt, and adjust it to suit your palate! Take our recipe for example.
- Don’t like your food spicy? Cut the Jalapeno in half and deseed it for a milder version.
- Some like it spicy! Take out the Jalapeno and add a Ghost Pepper.
- Cilantro, not your jive? Then leave it out and add your favorite herbs!
- Want a sweeter salsa? Toss in some freshly grilled mango when your just before you puree.
- Like it chunky? Then don’t puree it.
These are just a few examples. Don’t skip a recipe that you think you may like due to a single ingredient that you can’t stand! Make it yours!
Please Pin our Recipe to Share with your Friends!👇🏼
How to Make Restaurant Style Salsa
Restaurant Style Salsa that will keep you coming back for more! Bright and intensely flavored with garden-fresh tomatoes, garlic, jalapeno, onions, cumin seeds, cilantro, sea salt and a fresh squeeze of lime just before serving.
- 4 pounds blanched vine ripe tomatoes, cored + roughly chopped
- 1/2 large white onion, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed + chopped
- 1 whole jalapeno, sliced (deseed if you want less heat)
- 1/2 cup cilantro, washed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds, sub 1/2 teaspoon powder or to taste
- 2 teaspoons oregano, dried
- 1 teaspoon Kosher sea salt, or to taste
-
Toss all ingredients into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (terra cotta is amazing if you have it).
-
Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook for 35 minutes, or until the components have cooked down and become soft and fragrant.
-
Blend with a hand blender or carefully pour the ingredients into a food processor or standard blender and whiz for 30 seconds.
-
Return the salsa back to the pot and continue to cook over medium-low heat for another 15 minutes.
-
Cool and then serve with your favorite chips.
- Prep time is approximate.
- Keep homemade salsa in a tightly sealed container in your refrigerator up to 4-6 days.
- You can also freeze in airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags for 10-12 months.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, you may need to cook off excess water due to freezing. Cook down until it's reached the desired texture.
If you Love Mexican food as much as we do you may LOVE our Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup too! And don’t forget to check out our Tomato Blanching Technique too.
Did you Make a Mean Green Chef Recipe?
We 💙 LOVE 💚 seeing your creations! So don’t forget to tag us @meangreenchef or #meangreenchef so we can see what’s happening in your kitchen too!
14 comments
You always makes me hungry? Another epic
recipe. I can have salsa in my everyday meal. There’s
nothing like a homemade salsa. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Wow, Jane, thank you so much for the amazing compliment! It’s a terrific salsa, thank you so much for being a part of our kitchen! 🥰
I probably knew the difference between cooked and uncooked salsa but it was nice to see such a clear explanation, plus, of course, the use of the word “viscosity”, sigh. I love how you are using all those beautiful tomatoes, too. I usually make salsa cruda because it’s easy to adjust the heat for various family members but I’m going to try a cooked one.
Thanks so much, Beth! Excited to hear how you like the cooked version, I do love a good cruda too but there’s something special about a cooked version!😋
I love salsa and I love putting it on so many different foods! Yum!
Agreed, Erika! I LOVE it on baked potatoes, maybe weird but so good! 😋
Chips and salsa are a complete meal for me! I’m excited to try out your recipe. I love that you use simple everyday ingredients for this salsa.
lol Yes, they really could make a meal, Tamara! Simple and fresh is a great way to cook 🤗
Wow, this looks exactly like my favorite restaurant’s salsa. Many a thank you for this recipe!
It’s restaurant style all day long, I hope you love it as much as we do, Angela! 😋
I could eat salsa every day!! I didn’t realize that salsa could be cooked, I always thought it was fresh and mashed down! I learned something new today, haha!
Sweet, Kim, so glad you learned something new here today! It’s so good and I really hope you give it a go sometime, trust me if you love salsa you WILL LOVE our recipe! 🙂
I love making homemade salsa and this recipe looks incredible! I haven’t cooked it before blending like you do so I will definitely have to give it a try!
Seriously, Morgan, if you love salsa I’m 100% sure you’ll love this recipe!!! Please be sure to let us know how it goes 🤗