Introduction: How to Make Authentic Mexican Salsa

This salsa recipe will make your next large gathering a hit and leave people wanting more. Whether throwing a party or simply making some salsa for your own enjoyment, this recipe combines the perfect blend of spices and herbs for a wonderful eating experience. Making this salsa recipe requires no prior knowledge or experience in cooking. By following these instructions you can make this salsa on your own in less than 45 minutes. So what are we waiting for, let’s get started making our salsa so we can enjoy our hard work later.

Step 1: Gather What You Need

For this recipe you will need:

Ingredients:
     • 1 Red Bell Pepper
     • 1 Jalapeno
     • ½ White Onion
     • 3 Large Cloves of Garlic
     • 1 Handful of Cilantro
     • 42 ounces of Canned Tomatoes
     • 1 Lime
     • Salt
     • Crushed Red Pepper

Utensils:
     • Oven
     • Aluminum Foil
     • Cutting Board
     • Large Kitchen Knife
     • Can Opener
     • Blender/Food Processor
     • Bowl

Step 2: Place the Red Bell Pepper and Jalapeno on Aluminum Foil

Place the red bell pepper and the jalapeno on the aluminum foil and set on the bottom oven rack.  Turn the oven to broil. Warning: Ovens produce heat quickly so when handling the red bell pepper and jalapeno be careful to not touch inside of the oven.

Note:  For this recipe we want the red bell pepper and jalapeno to be ‘Fire Roasted’ so we will place them in the oven to perform this task. Broiling consists of cooking directly under heat so on your oven it only turns the top burner on and cooks from this heat, in contrast to regular cooking which cooks by heating up the air inside the oven. You will need to check on the red bell pepper and jalapeno approximately every 5 minutes rotating them to a new side when one side has blistered.

Step 3: Cut the White Onion in Half

Cut the white onion in half.

a) Remove outside skin and inner sprout. Warning: When using a knife keep fingers clear of blade.

Note:  As a general rule when cooking, if it doesn’t look like something you want to eat then throw it out. This rule applies to the onion; there is a sprout at the core of the onion remove that from the onion. Likewise the outside dry skin of an onion will alter the taste and you should remove that as well. For this recipe we will only need half of the onion unless you really like onion then add more as you see fit.

b) Mince the onion into many fine pieces.

Note:  Mincing simply means to chop into many small pieces. So go ahead and chop the onion up into many small pieces.

c) Deposit the minced onion into the blender/food processor.

Step 4: Husk and Halve the 3 Large Garlic Cloves.

Husk and Halve the 3 Large Garlic Cloves

a) Husk the Garlic.

Note:  For those of you that don’t know how to husk a clove of garlic, simply place the broad side of your large kitchen knife on the garlic and smash down the knife with your hand. This will break the clove and you can now remove the husk.

b) Halve the Garlic

Note:  Cut the clove of garlic in half and remove the sprout in the middle. This is typically an off white color, slender stem inside the garlic clove.

c) Cut off the end.

Note: On both of the pointed ends of the garlic a woody stem needs to be removed.

d) Mince the garlic and add to blender.

Step 5: Chop the Cilantro in Half

Chop the Cilantro in Half

a) Chop the cilantro in half.

Note:  Take a large handful of cilantro and place on the cutting board. You want to remove the bottom portion of the stem, from the leaves down and throw this away.

b) Mince the leafy part of the cilantro and add to blender.

Step 6: Remove the Red Bell Pepper and Jalapeno From the Oven

Remove the red bell pepper and jalapeno from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover the top of the bowl with the aluminum foil. Allow the red bell pepper and jalapeno to steam for approximately eight minutes inside covered bowl. 

Step 7: Open the Canned Tomatoes

Open and drain the water from the canned tomatoes then add to the blender.  Warning: Using the can opener leaves a rough edge on the can so be careful not to cut yourself holding the can lid down.

Step 8: Cut Lime in Half and Squeeze Into Blender

I like a stronger lime taste so I squeeze both halves of the lime into my salsa.

Tip: If you have a firm lime, microwave it for 10 seconds to soften it and make it easier to squeeze.

Step 9: Peal the Red Bell Pepper and Jalapeno

a) Remove the aluminum foil from the bowl and place the red bell pepper and jalapeno on the cutting board. The skin should be partially separated from the inside of the pepper.

b) Cut the skin away from the red bell pepper and jalapeno and discard the skin. Warning: There is hot juice inside the red bell pepper and jalapeno and when you cut it open it will squirt and potentially burn you.

c) Remove the seeds from the red bell pepper and discard the seeds.

d) Chop the red bell pepper and jalapeno into small pieces and place in the blender.

Step 10: Blend and Add Salt and Red Pepper Flake to Blender

Taste test and add salt and red pepper flake until you reach desired flavor.

Step 11: Enjoy!! Congratulations You Have Made Your Very Own Salsa!

Now that you have made the salsa you should have the confidence to make it again. All of the measurements for the ingredients are subject to my own specific taste and you should play around and alter them to fit your liking. The secret to great salsa begins with incorporating the right ratio of each ingredient for your taste. Once you know how you like it, you can make any amount following your own ratio guide.