This has been my go-to salsa base recipe for years: https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11059/restaurant-style-salsa/
One mystery I haven't figured out yet: If I use "nicer" canned tomatatoes, eg Centos (vs. generic grocery store brand), it never turns out – ends up like tomato sauce.
Anyone know why? I'm guessing maybe they just have "more tomatoeyness" and less water?
by timkelty
8 Comments
Check for basil/spices in your cans of tomatoes. Sometimes they add a pinch of basil to classify it as a sauce for tax purposes.
Good god if your go to salsa is from pioneer woman you’re in the wrong sub, bub.
It could be the added calcium chloride in generic brand. It’s a firming agent that gives tomatoes body. Most domestic canned tomatoes have it, but not in high quality imported ones.
Try it without the sugar. Good tomatoes are sweet naturally.
I would wager between your guess and u/owowhatsthis123 it’s some combination of column A, column B. Could be spices added, could be they need less additional canning liquid.
I would however add that while I do also prefer a consistency that is closer to “wet” than “spaghetti sauce”, you should be able to get a decently wet salsa regardless, leading me to think that maybe something in your process (that might work with the cheap tomatoes with additional water) that is jamming you up. Looking at your recipe, I’m curious if you’re just throwing everything in the blender at the same time and it’s just getting too thick?
If you blend the tomatoes first, you can add water right there as needed so that the consistency couldn’t possibly be misconstrued for marinara. Then add in the onions, followed by the peppers – at every stage you have the option of adding a splash of water before it all combines into a single gooey sauce. Add the cilantro at the end and just mix, it doesn’t need to get blended up (unless that’s how you like it, but I’m just thinking blending EVERYTHING into particulates is *probably* why your salsa is so thick).
Hope that helps!
Muir Glen roasted diced tomatoes are my go to when I use canned.
I find you tend to prefer whatever it is you’re used to. Like when I switched from Coke to Diet Coke I developed such a taste for it that classic Coca Cola didn’t taste “right” when I would drink it again. Same kind of thing with pancake syrup for me. I actually prefer the fake crap over maple because that’s what I was raised on and maple just tastes off to my tastebuds even though it’s a better product.
I always use Cento. They are sweet, no need for sugar