I am immensely proud of myself for pulling this off, and it was so simple and tastes extremely similar to the original recipe. I wish I'd figured this out sooner bc my spouse has been without salsa for roughly a year now. I served it at a Halloween party and no one could tell that it didn't have onion. My wife is allergic to nearly 400 different things—including garlic, onion, corn, tomato (you know, all the things that go in salsa)
Recipe:
1 Avocado
1 Stalk of celery
6 stalks of cilantro
Lime and lemon juice to taste (key lime is a good alternative)
Kosher salt
Pepper
3 Tomatillos
1/2 Anaheim chili pepper
1 jalapeno
1/3 ish cup of water
I also made her a red salsa that I'll post separately, subbed red bell pepper for tomato and amazingly people couldn't tell, even one of our guests who despises red bell pepper was shocked that she had been happily eating the red salsa thinking it was tomato.
I'm so happy, I've already made 3 batches of the salsa and Halloween was only a few days ago! This is my new go to recipe, and I don't miss the onion even though I love it. I hope this recipe helps someone with food allergies out there! It's tough having to give up all your favorite foods so hopefully this makes a bit easier for any salsa lovers.
(Since she is allergic to corn, the tortilla chips are cassava and lime, from the brand Siete who specializes in grain free tortilla chips. They're no where near as good as the real thing, but they're healthier and for my wife have been absolutely life changing)
Note: for other salsas that call for garlic, I've just been ommitting it completely as I have not found a substitute that comes anywhere close. Some have suggested ginger, but my wife is very against this. If anyone can think of anything similar to the garlic in flavor that isn't garlic, please let me know! I'm also looking for something to replace fresh corn. She cannot have cauliflower, tree nuts, wheat, or dairy. I'm open to as many creative suggestions as people have!
by thesuburbanrecluse
13 Comments
It looks great.
If I had your wife’s allergies, I’d be miserable. Condolences to her.
So lovely! I bet your wife is appreciative.
I’ve checked out that same cookbook from Mely Martinez btw, do you like it?
Oh hey I have the same cookbook. Love the atole recipe in the winter.
I don’t know what I’d do if I was allergic to onions & garlic I eat that shit like 6 days a week
These look awesome! I’m sure your wise is appreciative! Did the garlic, onion and tomato allergies just start a year ago?
Looks delicious!
For a garlic substitute, have you tried asafoetida/hing? It’s commonly used in Indian cuisine and tastes similar to onion/garlic.
You could also try a little horseradish. It’s similarly very pungent.
Can always try using Hing as a garlic/onion substitute
Curious about the celery you used. Looks like you followed the recipe in the book except swapped onion for celery. Can you taste the celery in the salsa? Does it do something for the texture?
That’s love right there.
I have a friend whose wife is allergic to onions and basically anything onion related. Pretty awful allergy. She can rarely eat out and can’t eat pretty much any condiment. He went out to dinner and had something with onions in it once. When they went to bed she started having a reaction from like his sweat or smell. Weirdest thing I’ve ever heard.
I recommend Asafetida, it’s a great fill in for garlic and onion. It’s FODMAP OK and my wife found it to cook for my mom. You can get it at a herbal or spice store, if you get it online make sure it’s pure Asafetida. Wife says it’s little bitter when used in raw foods but if you cook it just a bit with something it will really come through. Just a game changer for food flavor, I hope this is as great for your wife as it was for my mom.
Salsa without two major ingredients? Jesus Christ id just try to find a new wife
As a woman allergic to everything, you’re such a trooper! My husband opts out on things daily, good job OP.