This is the first time I've ever made salsa and I would love some advice on bringing more flavor to this. I'm extremely amateur when it comes to cooking and preparing food. My main gripe with this recipe is it's way too watery and tomato heavy…the recipe called for 6 tomatoes (on top of some canned tomatoes for "extra flavor") which seemed like a lot but I wanted to follow it to the letter. So next time maybe 4 tomatoes? The spice level was perfect, wouldn't mind a little more heat though if it means more flavor so I'm definitely open to different kinds of peppers.
Anyway, here are the ingredients and how it was prepared:
6 tomatoes, 3 jalapeños, and 1 poblano. All sautéed on medium high heat for 20 minutes. Took the stems off and the seeds out of 2 jalapeños. Cut everything up and put into the blender with 1 cup of canned diced tomatoes, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 cup of cilantro, 1 lime worth of juice and 1 tbsp of chicken bouillon powder. No onion as my wife is very allergic.
Would love some suggestions from you all!
by GuiltyGlow
20 Comments
I have this issue because I have to not use much salt for health – so you are probably in need of salt. You could add some ancho chilis too maybe?
what kind of tomatoes did you use?
beef steak tomatoes and plum tomatoes have VERY different water levels
you can further alter water levels in the future by removing the gelatinous seed portions and only using the flesh
a bit of cumin would be a thing i add for some extra flavor, a spoonful of oil can help flavors coat the tongue more too as well as emulsify and thicken without changing the flavor a lot, also sadly onion is one of the heaviest flavors and you have to miss out on it
I HOPE YOU USED ONION FREE BOULLION POWDER
Any recipe using fresh ingredients, especially if they’re using a certain number of ingredients, can vary wildly. Peppers can have wild swings on heat, tomatoes can vary on taste, water and size. You can easily use less tomatoes, and then add to taste, or add more peppers.
Remove the canned tomatoes, leave everything in the jalapeños (seeds) and maybe add 1 more. You’re drowning the salsa with the canned tomatoes, its too much water and canned stuff makes salsa taste store bought or artificial in my opinion. Most Chicken bouillon has msg and can make things savory, but too much and it tastes like a gisado or stew, I would say reduce that sh*t to a tea spoon not a tablespoon. Bouillon can overpower the fresh taste of salsa.
Really sad about the onion allergy I will pray for her soul. However, is she allergic to the powder form? My friend is allergic to fresh onion but not dried powder. I would add some if so.
You will need to salt to taste as well.
So our recipes are very similar. I’ve experimented a bit to get my recipe perfected, so here’s my advice:
Nix the regular tomatoes and just used canned; I use one 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and 1 can of fire roasted Rotel (don’t judge lol). Canned are way more flavorful than fresh.
I usually use 5-6 cloves of garlic. Maybe add one or two more and see how you like it.
If you want a little more heat you can add a serrano pepper or two! I usually use 3 jalapenos and 3 serranos, and leave the seeds in cause I like it hot. I also don’t cook them in any way; I use them fresh as I feel the flavor’s more prominent.
A little more cilantro wouldn’t hurt either. Make sure you’re using the stems too since you’re just blending it up. There’s a lot of flavor in them. I generally use about half a bunch.
Otherwise maybe a 1/2 teaspoon or so of salt. I use Diamond Kosher which is coarse so if you just have regular table salt use 1/4 teaspoon first and see if you need anymore after that.
Just make sure you’re making adjustments a little at a time until you get it right!
Ooo no onions is difficult, me personally, I would try doing 3 tomatoes, 4 tomatillos, 2 poblanos, 5 chile de Arbols, 2 anchos, garlic, cumin, salt, olive oil! Roast everything in a broiler, should taste less tomatoey!
6 tomatoes is already too many, and then you added the canned tomatoes. All of that is just a lot of water. The ancho has very little flavor and is likely buried by the jalapeño. Anchos aren’t really a typical ingredient n a table salsa. Seems like a wasted addition.
I’d definitely drop the canned tomatoes and drop it down to 3 to start. 2 jalapeños – experiment leaving seeds on with one to get a sense of heat tolerance, 1 garlic, salt, cumin, bouillon.
Be gentle in the blender. The longer it runs the more it’s breaking up the tomato and encouraging the separation of the water from the pulp. Several pulses should be enough. Personally I like the cilantro. I wouldn’t add it to the blender, rather fold in some chopped cilantro once it’s done.
Heat up a pan with some oil and “fry” your salsa. It will intensify the flavor and evaporate some of that water.
If you want the more “fresh” variety of salsa then maybe just just the flesh of your tomatoes and not the seeds and slime.
First of all, it looks great! But if I made it and wanted to change it up, here are a few things I would do:
— Add a serrano and maybe one more jalapeño, and omit the poblano.
— Roast fresh whole tomatoes (as opposed to canned), peppers and at least some of the garlic over charcoal or a gas grill until slightly charred on the outside. That will add a lot of flavor compared to just cooking in a pan on the stovetop.
— If the final product is too runny after blending, strain the salsa until all the liquid runs through and then add just enough back in to give it the consistency you want.
Optional if you’re open to experimenting: Try adding a VERY, VERY small amount of honey in after blending, especially if it is overly spicy. I’m talking just a half teaspoon or less — not so much that you can even identify it being in there. You won’t be able to taste it, but it does alter the overall flavor of the other ingredents slightly.
Good luck, and keep us posted!
no onion! can you use shallot? Salt level is important, can add some msg too. Typically onion allergy is rare but generally those are also allergic to onion and other alliums but you have garlic
Ive done a similar recipe minus the canned tomatoes (with lots of onion) that turned out great.
I don’t like the strength of raw onion at all. I do use green onion from some onions that are growing outside. Just a bit. I add cilantro and lemon juice.
Cut the fresh tomatoes in half and squeeze out juice. You can also salt them to draw out the tomato juice to make a less watered down product. Sometimes Ill do this overnight in the fridge.
Strain the canned tomatoes to remove liquid too.
These two things will amplify everything else. Also you need to add salt and pepper.
If the final product is too watery you can cook it on the stove to boil away some of the liquid. Can make the flavor more concentrated.
If it needs a lil mhhmmp i add Nor. That shit fixes everything
Msg
Grill the veggies instead of saute. Cover for 1 hour after grilling to let the smoke set in a bit before blending
Most chicken bouillon contains onion. I’m sure you’ve checked yours but just a heads up
Skip the canned tomatoes. My Mexican grocers carry giant romas, so cut back 1-2, depending on size. The regular grocery store tomatoes are smaller, so if that’s the case stick with 6.
Maybe add a canned chipotle (half, or 3, whatever you want to try according to your spice tolerance) and see what happens.
You can mess around with different peppers, too. Manzana, serrano, habanero, etc. for both spice level and flavor. I don’t care for poblanos in my salsa, but if you liked it then keep it.
Outside of that, just adjust the salt if you need to. It helps to intensify other flavors, so if you were light on salt, it may seem a little bland.
I’d cut back on the amount of chicken bouillon to a teaspoon. I’d add some ancho chili powder, more fresh garlic, more cilantro and some salt. Ditch the canned tomatoes completely. Depending on the tomatoes you’re using, you could remove the seeds and use the flesh on one of the tomatoes. Also you could get some radishes and cut them into small strips. That will help add some bulk to the salsa and help increase the flavor
Why wpuld you use canned tomatoes and bouillon?