Salsa from a jar doesn’t compare to that fresh salsa you get at your favorite Mexican food restaurant. I used to buy my salsa at the Tamale Kitchen by the quart every week until my brother came for a visit. He had a basic salsa recipe that he tweaked to fit his tastes, and he shared it with me.
There was only one hiccup – I didn’t own a food processor. A good 10-cup food processor is necessary to make things like salsa, and it’s the best $50 you’ll spend on your kitchen. The one I use is this one from Hamilton Beach. My brother bought it for me, and I’ve been rocking my salsa ever since! I tested different ingredients and amounts until I came up with my family’s favorite. Feel free to start here and tweak to your family’s taste! If you like a spicier salsa, add some serrano or habanero peppers.
This makes a large batch, so I freeze some of the salsa in 1 cup portions to use later.
Restaurant Salsa
Ingredients:
2 bunches cilantro
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into 4ths
2 large jalapeno peppers
1 clove garlic
10 oz can Rotel
1 lime
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
Directions:
Rinse the cilantro in your salad spinner and break off as many large stems as possible. Smaller stems are fine.
Slice the onion into 4ths, wash and cut the tops off the jalapenos, and peel the garlic clove.
Add cilantro, onion, jalapenos, garlic, and Rotel into the food processor. Cut the lime in half and squeeze the juice from both halves over the ingredients.
Arrange the whole peeled tomatoes on top of the other ingredients without the juice from the can. Pulse the food processor until salsa is the desired consistency.
