This is a delicious homemade salsa.
This recipe as written is what I have known as pico de gallo. I added 2 Tbsp. tomato paste (use ketchup for sweeter) to make salsa. Excellant as pico or salsa!!!
Read MoreActually, this is a fantastic salsa. The reason I gave it 3 stars? Because 5 serrano peppers is INSANE and I wanted to make sure others knew that before they prepared this. Not knowing anything about serrano peppers, we lost all sensation in our heads when we ate this salsa for the first time. And believe me, we eat habaneros every day so we know hot. Perhaps you are not supposed to use the seeds, but the recipe doesn't say that. In any event, we have found that 1 and 1/2 serranos is fine when using the whole pepper. If you have something to prove, try 2. :-)
Read MoreActually, this is a fantastic salsa. The reason I gave it 3 stars? Because 5 serrano peppers is INSANE and I wanted to make sure others knew that before they prepared this. Not knowing anything about serrano peppers, we lost all sensation in our heads when we ate this salsa for the first time. And believe me, we eat habaneros every day so we know hot. Perhaps you are not supposed to use the seeds, but the recipe doesn't say that. In any event, we have found that 1 and 1/2 serranos is fine when using the whole pepper. If you have something to prove, try 2. :-)
This recipe as written is what I have known as pico de gallo. I added 2 Tbsp. tomato paste (use ketchup for sweeter) to make salsa. Excellant as pico or salsa!!!
Very good salsa!! I like the chuncky salsa and my husband does not. I put some in the blender and we were both happy!!
Excellent salsa! It is the bomb! I got tons of compliments on it. It's so fresh and AUTHENTIC. Don't forget the salt, though. I forgot the first time and it ended up just being a bowl of chopped tomatoes. :) This recipe is a keeper.
Excellent!! I used this recipe which was very good. I also used it as a template for my own by changing things to suit my specific tastes and it has opened the new world of homemade salsa. Add the salt last, taste to test before and after, it really brings out the flavors and puts it all together.
Delicious!! I used 2 seeded peppers and it wasn't really spicy at all. Next time I will use all 5. Awesome flavor and very easy to make.
I added some diced avacado and my family loves this!!
3 stars only, due to lack of essential ingredients and preparation. Missing garlic, cracked black pepper and olive oil. Also, drain the tomatoes so it isn`t watery. Nothing worse than a drippy salsa on your shirt. Onions and garlic should be blanched as well(pour about 2 cups boiling water over chopped onions/garlic)to soften them up. Adding olive oil gives it another dimention of flavor and adds a nice sheen to finished slasa.
Let me clear up some things first. Someone was complaining about how hot this salsa was and claiming that they eat Habaneros constantly. Habaneros are way hotter than Serrano chiles. This person must not be using Serrano peppers and he/she thinks he/she is. I actually use 1 more Serrano pepper than what's called for, and I also put half of a Habanero pepper. The key is to make sure you dice the peppers up very, very finely so that nobody eats a big chunk of the peppers. Doing so will bring a nice kick; not too strong and not too mild. If you can't handle this, you shouldn't be messing with any salsa that is spicy. This recipe is truly an excellent recipe. It's very flavorful and reminds me of the good salsa in good ol' San Antonio. I get soooo many compliments every time I make this salsa. The only other suggestion I'll make is to put a little lime juice directly on the cilantro when you're chopping it up. The mixture of flavors are fantastic. Enjoy!
I'm being generous with my two star rating for this recipe if prepared as written. It's very good with significant tweaking, but by the time you get done doing so it isn't even the same recipe. First off, I cut waaaay back on the serranos - obviously. And I used jalapenos rather than serranos. I wanted to be able to taste this, and you wouldn't be able to if your mouth was numb. Secondly, in my view 1/2 c. each of both onion and cilantro and onion was far too much. It tasted like, well, cilantro and onion. I needed to add more tomato (which I seeded and chopped) to get the balance I thought was right. This recipe, then, is a good reference tool if you're wondering what the ingredients in fresh salsa are - but not for measurements. Make this recipe as written at your own risk. Make a couple of reasonable changes and you've got a fine salsa.
onion/cilantro amts are good, just use 3 ROMA tomatoes, and one medium sized regular tomato- just the sidewalls (no juice/seeds/guts), and be sure to add clove of garlic, a bit more salt & lime juice, and some olive oil and WHITE VINEGAR (approx 1 tsp oil, 2 tsp vinegar). none of the other reviews i saw (went 20 in or so) mentioned vinegar, which kicks up all the flavors like salt does. also makes it last longer. oh...and the no brainer: throw all this in a blender/food processor if you really want salsa, otherwise, you have something between pico de gallo and chunky tomato something :)
We went to mexico in december.. The fresh salsa down there was amazing.. When we came home, I could not eat jarred salsa anymore after trying that fresh salsa. I've made other salsas before..But this recipe is as close as I have come to copying the great fresh mexican salsas we had in Mexico. I did some alterations though: I used 3 jalapenos instead of 5 serranos.. It was a little mild so next time I might add more jalapenos or just keep one with seeds (I seeded all 3). I added 5 cloves of garlic.. I was worried it might be too much but it was perfect. I used the juice of 1 entire fresh lime.. I used a tupperware chopping product I have, kind of like a food processor but it did not mush everything.. I took this to a party and it was a HUGE hit.. Everyone raved. I will definitely be using this recipe for any salsa! Never again to buy jarred salsas!
I love it HOT. Believe me, this QUALIFIES ! If you aren't familiar with peppers Google "Scoville scale". It rates the relative heat of peppers. F'rinstance Bell = 0, Jalapeno 2,500 - 8,000, serrano 10,00-23,000. Red savina habeneros can reach 580,000. The hottest- Naga jolokia can reach just over 1,000,000. I think it's the hottest because anything over that is called spontaneous combustion.
Tomatoes should be blanched and peeled. Add Cilantro to taste. Add garlic or SOMETHING to liven this up.
Never used Serrano Chiles... didn't realize they were hotter then Jalapenos. No indication on this recipe that this was a HOT salsa. :( "Fresh Tomato Salsa" led me to think mild/medium for some reason. :/ Got as far as chopping the Serrano chiles, starting coughing non-stop and thought I was having an allergic reaction or something! Bailed out of making this, put everything away in the fridge. Didn't even realize these chiles were HOT until licking some applesauce off of my finger later and thats after washing my hands! Hands are burning now... must have took a bit to kick in.... wish I knew how to get the serrano chiles off my hands... soap isn't working. God forbid I accidentally itch my eye. Horrible Experience!! This recipe needs warnings for those of us who have not worked with these before! >:(
More tomatoes and less cilantro would have made this salsa much better.
too plain. use red onion, add green, orange AND yellow bell peppers, A cubanelle pepper and a couple deseeded jalepeno and extra lime. let it sit overnight. all these different colors and flavors will make it beautiful and deliciOUS. its not to hot, if you like it hot, use some or all of the jalepeno seeds. it will last a week or two...
I added a clove of garlic and used blender to get it to the consistency I wanted. Recipe is awesome!
I had a million tomatoes from the garden that I wanted to use up, so I used probably a dozen. To compensate, I used half of a large onion, almost a whole bunch of cilantro, 2 tsp. salt, juice from 2 whole limes, and instead of the serranos, I used 2 jalapenos. A very fresh and summery recipe! Will be making again!
This was easy to make and really good. I used several previous reviewers suggestions, but definately will make this again.
1st attempt at making fresh tomato salsa from all my fresh veggies in the garden. Family approved!! Added 3 cloves of minced garlic as per other reviewers and 1 pepper as I don't like it too spicy. Will make again.
On your BBQ, roast any chile, roma tomato, onion,or garlic till at least slightly blackened. You wiill be amazeda at the flavor it will add to your salsa.
I used 3 more tomatoes and a little less cilantro. I also added 2 cloves of garlic. I mixed it all in the blender and everyone loved it!
Great call using serrano peppers instead of jalapeno: they are hotter but have a distinctive taste. Please do remove seeds and ribs. If unsure as to hotness, reserve some for adding later. Learned how to make this pico de gallo while living in a small Mexican village. Most locals made this daily sometimes roasting the tomatoes--different flavor but unnecessary imho. We love the chunky, crunchy nature so drain whatever type of fresh tomatoes, reserve juice if you prefer saucier version. I use more cilantro and onion and no salt. Fav use is over homemade pinto beans (easy, cheap, good protein, not fried) topped with any crumbly Mexican cheese.
Good! Reduced the cilantro to a 1/3 of a cup. This is what we call "Salsa Mexicana" in Mexico. Great with grilled steaks!
I've made this recipe many times and it's excellent. So fresh and not overdone. Pure, clean, fresh flavour. The only thing I adjust is 5 serrano peppers is WAY too much. I usually make it with 2. Once I used 3 and we could barely eat it, and we like hot. Also, you MUST remove the seeds from the peppers, and I strongly suggest wearing disposable gloves when chopping the peppers. Serrano chiles are required. Jalapenos do not give the same flavour or heat. Does not keep long. Best if consumed the day it is made.
I used 4 tomatoes, 1 small onion, 1 serrano chile (use 5 if you want your mouth on fire!). *Tip: taste the salsa first before putting all 5 serrano chiles in.* I only used about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and added salt and lime juice to taste. I also added a little bit of fresh chopped garlic...placed each ingredient in the blender separately and used the "pulse" button to blend it. Mixed all the ingredients together and added the salt and lime juice last.
Wonderful salsa recipe!! I have made this over and over again! Definitely a keeper!
This is good salsa. The peppers I had in the refrigerator were jalapenos and thai red chili peppers (which are very hot). I added one of each, and the heat was just about right. Good way to use tomatoes while they're at the peak of their season.
The only reason I am giving this a one is the recipe should say to use gloves while dicing the peppers. I have never made salsa before and did not use gloves. My hands have been buring for hours.
I love this recipe. Its quick and easy and delicious. I add about one clove of garlic and about 3 different colored bell pepers. I also use all the serrano chiles but add 1 diced mango to this and it helps keep it mild
Delicious and easy. The fresher the ingredients, the better. After reading reviews suggesting a clove of garlic, I decided to substitute salt for garlic salt. Was incredibly tasty. Will definitely be making this again.
My grocery store was out of serrano chiles, so I substituted 1 seeded jalapeno pepper (I was worried it'd be too hot if I added more than that). My husband and his football buddies ate it up! Next time, I'll add another jalapeno, or try it with a couple of serranos, because it could have been hotter.
Oooh I love fresh salsa recipes!! This one was really good! But be careful with the serrano peppers they're really hot! I only added one and it still had some kick. Thanks for the recipe! =)
AMAZING! The version I make which is very similar is MORE THAN 5 STARS! So I gave it five stars even though I made a few adjustments: I have kids who don't like things too spicy, so I haven't made it with the hot peppers. I added chopped sweet yellow pepper, and as for the lime, I squeezed it into a little bowl and stirred in a little honey (1/2 tsp.). Amazing reviews from everyone who eats it. One last thing: it says 10 minutes prep time, but I find it takes much longer than that to chop everything!
I've been making a variation of this recipe for a couple of years now. I received the original recipe from my friend whose mother in law is spanish. I add garlic and a little bit of diced green peppers, pepper, and cumin (or cumin seeds). I've also used bottled lemon juice if I do not have fresh limes on hand. Do not add the seeds if you don't want it hot. I sometimes use jalapenos in place of serrano's (I have them on hand a lot) - don't use the seeds in them either unless you want hot! She also taught me that if you have any left over that's been sitting for a few days (or have "mealy" tomatoes) you can fry it up in a pan, put it in a jar in the fridge til it cools and it will get a consistency of a store bought jar of salsa. I've only done that once or twice because we rarely have any leftover - but it's equally as good! Thanks for sharing - I always have people asking me for the recipe and I actually don't have it wrote down anymore as I just make it by eyeing...now I can point them to your recipe. Fabulous! Thanks!
I just want to state that this recipe has been in my recipe box for two years now... why? Because it is the best fresh salsa out there. For one, it is simple, you can add less or more to taste of any of the ingredients, or opt out of an ingredient if need be. My only suggestion is to be careful with the lime juice and salt; if you over-do either of them, you can ruin the entire salsa! I literally triple this recipe when I make it because we love it so much!! A+! I should have reviewed this a long time ago!
AWESOME!! Just finished making my 3rd batch of this salsa in as many days, and this time I made a triple batch since it disappears so quickly. Even my kids eat it up (although some of them have to drink a little milk because of the spiciness) I make the recipe exactly as is except for a few things: Though the recipe doesn't call for it, I peel & seed the tomatoes. I also used a little less salt & a little less cilantro because ths was my husband's preference. My husband also requested that I not take any of the seeds or pulp out of the peppers, so I just cut them up into a small dice including the entire pepper (it is spicy, but we love it this way) This salsa tastes just as good as that which we always bought from the local Mexican restaurant. It is somewhat time-consuming to cut everything into a small dice, but the yumminess is worth it. I used to just make my salsa without a recipe, so it never tasted exactly the same from one time to another. It's great to have such a delicious recipe so that I know that it will be fabulous every single time. Thanks so much bluebayou!
This was great and so fast. I chopped up 2 jalapenos since I am a spice wimp and put everything else in a food processor and cut it up very fine (careful not to make it all liquid). My hubby and I love it and it is much cheaper then the fresh salsa at the stores.
Make sure to add garlic cloves to this. And like everyone else said...you do NOT need that many peppers unless you want your mouth burning! One or two is fine.
I increased the servings to 27 because I had 20 tomatoes from my garden I needed to use up. Took me and my mom all day to prepare but it was so worth it! I didn't have serrano peppers but I did have an abundance of jalepeno pepers from my garden. We chopped up 25 but just added them by the spoonful until it was spicy enough for me. I also added 5 cloves of garlic per another review. I agree that it's more like pico de gallo but MAN IS IT GOOD! Wonderful recipe as is :)
This salsa is delicious and easy to prepare. I followed the advice of other reviewers and didn't use five hablano peppers. I used two jalapeno peppers; one with seeds, the other seeded, and it's just right for my husband and me. I used a red onion because I like the taste of them in salsa. This salsa turns out as good as the salsa you get in Mexican restaurants. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Great. Used way fewer chiles, and it needed garlic...yum, much better.
we can't even keep some for the next day. 2-3 chiles are good, but its great without the chiles as well.
So easy and so good! Has been incredibly well-received by everyone who has tried it.
The only reason why I am rating this three stars is because of the serrano peppers. I made a double batch of salsa and used only two serrano peppers in the entire thing. It was definitely spicy enough for me and even my husband who loves spicy food said that it had a good amount of spice. I would never use 5 serrano peppers. The salsa was fabulous though and will be making it again...just not with as many peppers as the recipe calls for.
I love this recipie- VERY good! One time I made it and forgot salt, makes a BIG difference! also- for those who don't like spice- did you know that the seeds are the spicy part of the chile? Take em' out and you're good! Thanks to all who review recipies- helps a lot!
This is a great basic recipe. I suggest letting it sit in the fridge for at least 12 hours before serving.
I love this salsa! I read several reviews and decided to add 2 cloves of garlic to the recipe. I did not have any serrano chiles so I substituted them for jalapeno peppers (2) . It turned out to be fairly mild but still delicious.
I have been making salsa like this for years, although I never measure what I put in, I just use what's ready in the garden. I do agree that 5 serranos are too many. I usually use one jalapeno or 2-3 serranos. Also, you MUST try it sometime with lime zest. Zest a whole lime, then take the whole lime's juice. The zing you get is outstanding!
YUMMY!!! Big hit w/ the Dangs. Added lots of garlic, lemon juice, hot sauce (made a BIG batch-used 4 peppers and it wasn't spicy enough) and balsamic vinegar. Used food processor for most of the tomatoes, etc, then hand chopped a few toms for bigger chunks. Very tasty!
Was very good. I used Jalepenos a bit spicy for my taste but my husband who is the big salsa eater loved it! Thanks for this recipe.
This is now a family favorite, and I live in San Antonio where we know what good salsa tastes like! I added a little garlic to the original recipe. NOTE: 1 Serrano pepper is just fine ... 5 is INSANE. NOTE2: If you want mild salsa, without loosing the flavor, take the seeds out of the serrano pepper before chopping and adding to the salsa.
I made this yesterday and it turned out wonderful. I did add a little garlic ( 2 cloves). Hubby thought it was the best salsa ever! If hubby's happy, everybody's happy! Will make for parties for sure!
Simplicity...lovely. Wee alterations... 1-2 cloves of minced garlic...( I LOVE GARLIC ) Any hot pepper will do...jalepeno, serrano, thai etc. Fresh ground black pepper... YUMMY! Massive hit.
This salsa was delicious! I only made a small batch because I was using up the rest of some roma grape tomatoes. I only had jalopeno on hand, so I used that instead of the chiles. But it was still fantastic and tasted great on top of an omelet. Thanks for a great recipe.
This salsa is so fresh and tasty! I seeded the tomato before chopping which cut down on the soupiness. I cut way back on the chilies. WHAT A HIT AT MY HOUSE!!
really good... a super base. We de-seeded tomats & used the blender. many reviews recommend the addition of garlic, but we found it didn't need that.
I used a jalapeno instead of serranos and didn't add salt and tastes great to me!
Excellent salsa! I seeded and strained the tomatoes, helps to make the salsa less watery. Only used 2 seeded serrano peppers and one mild jalepeno pepper. It was nice and spicy but not too hot. I also used the juice of one whole lime, a splash of white vinegar and a few drops of tabasco.. gives it an extra bite. Also added one garlic clove to the mix. Have made it several times and tried adding different things like corn and black beans. A hit every time!
This recipe is AWESOME!! We made it on Saturday and it was gone in an hour. We will definitely make this again. It is so good I was eating it with a spoon. The only change was we used 2 serranos instead of 5.
We changed it up a bit, to suit what we had on hand, but the end result was the best salsa I have ever had! We ate about 4 batches of it one day, and canned it the next. I haven't tried it canned yet, but fresh, it is excellent. We used some finely diced jalepeno, as we didn't have serranos, and we added a couple cloves of minced fresh garlic. Mmm, thinking about this one is making me hungry!
This is a delicious salsa. This is the first time I've made it so I was pleased that it turned out so well. Like some others suggested I did add 1 clove of garlic (but we're kinda garlic nuts!) and only used 2 chilies. One tip I can offer: Make sure to wear gloves when you're handling chilies. I didn't and now my hands are still burning two days later!
Sure wish I read the reviews before making this. I doubled the recipe except for the hot pepper and it still burned my head off!!!!! I ended up adding three times the ingredients to balance out the heat from five peppers. The final product was perfect with a good kick to it. One or two Serranos are plenty for this recipe.
I used 2 jalapeno peppers instead of the serranos and I included a sprinkling of the seeds to give it a little heat. It was SO fresh and delicious!! My husband and I gobbled this up in no time. I can't wait to serve this to guests and will probably double the recipe when I do.
This was easy to preapre, and delicious. I did make a few changes to the reecipe. I knew that 5 serrano chiles would make it to hot for us, so I cut down on those. I added jalapinoes intead of the serranos. Also added in avacoda and garlic
Very good recipe! We had to use canned chopped green chiles (old el paso)as a substitute for the chiles. It tasted great. It's good if you let the tomatoes drain a bit so they aren't watery, or pat them dry after you chop them, so the salsa isn't so watery. Some liquid is good, but nothing is worse than dribbling stuff down your shirt at a party. We brought this salsa to a party and there wasn't one piece of tomato left by the end of the night. My friends have no shame...
I used 4 fresh jalapeno peppers instead of serrano chiles because that's what I happened to have on hand. I added the juice of an entire lime, and I also used a couple extra tomatoes. This is a winner!
this is soooo good i only used 1 serrano and doubled the recipe,put all in foodprocesor exept for cilantro i didnt want mine to turn green so i put it in last after the procesor.only pulse it a few times my fam.loves it not to hot the kiddos can eat it too oh and i also put 2 fresh garlic cloves in there.
I love spicy food. I even put Sriracha all over my rice. But holy mother, serrano chiles are nothing to mess with. I read the reviews before I made it so I took some advice and used only 2 and would add more if it wasn't hot enough. I AM SWEATING IN MY SEAT RIGHT NOW. DO NOT USE MORE THAN TWO!!!! Oh my goodness, whoever can eat this salsa with 5 serrano chiles, you're my hero. Next time, I'll make it with 1 chile or maybe 1/2. Pretty good salsa nonetheless. I just added some corn to it, it tastes even better. :)
Like others, I halved the salt and seeded the tomatoes, and I also added 1 tsp extra lime juice. I used a few heaped tablespoons of chopped pickled green chillies as this was all I had. The salsa pretty good but it just seemed to be missing something...maybe I'll add some dried cumin next time.
Take the time drain the tomatoes for an hour or so before mixing with other ingredients (you'll be amazed how much liquid comes off with no loss of flavor). It makes such a difference and the salsa doesn't end up as 'watery'.
this was really good although I don't like super hot stuff so I left out the peppers but added a sprinkle of chili powder I also added some lemon juice and garlic. It would have gotten 5 out of 5 stars but this is in no way salsa it is definitely pico de gallo!
I love this stuff! Ever since coming across this recipe, I have been using it for several years, especially with grilled chicken and fish. A couple days ago I made a batch with fresh garlic scapes. Last night I was eating it out of the bowl with a spoon. Tonight it will go with sea bass. Yum!
I substituted with jalapeno peppers, I love Lemon and lime but for some reason I don't like it in my salsa (go figure) other than that it was good.
Great, liked it a lot. I usually put in less peppers, cause I don't like it too hot.
I agree with the other posters--great idea for a recipe, but two very important points: 1) This needs 1-2 cloves of garlic. 2) We found 1 serano pepper to be PLENTY spicy. It was comfortably hot without being too spicy to taste the flavors. I used 1 pint of chopped cherry tomatoes & slightly less cilantro than called for, and we loved it!
This is a great easy recipe that anybody can do. My suggestion: add chopped black olives. Makes it taste fantastic!
This is a great recipe, it reminds me of a traditional Mexican Pico de gallo. If you want it more saucy just add tomato sauce. Yummy- mine is 5 stars all the way.
Wow this was sooo good! I used a jalapeno pepper because that is all the store had. I also cut up fresh garlic and used lemon juice instead of lime. My husband could not stop eating it - it was a hit at the 4th of July party!
Good recipe to start from, but I would never use 5 serranos! I used 2 and that was plenty. Also added a little coriander to mine.
OMG - used my big and jucy but split and sad looking tomatoes right from the garden and it was delicious. Best ever!! I only had red onion so used those. Great recipe, thanks! Oh yes, only used one serrano pepper without the seeds.
I added some olive oil, feta cheese and garlic and decided to slice a baguette and make bruschetta with this fabulous salsa. Will make again! Thanks a bunch for this recipe!
hmmm....I used 1 jalapeno pepper....not spicy enough?! May use 1 serrano next time. It was just missing....something. Maybe more salt.
This is an old recipe that I have used for years. Delicious and quick to fix. Do let it stand overnight or a few hours so the flavors can blend.
Amazingly tasty, especially with a clove of garlic and half a red bell pepper chopped up in there. As others have noted, though, there is NO way I could handle this with 5 serrano chiles. I used 3 and it's already about as spicy as I can handle. I'd recommend 2-3 chiles for this recipe.
I have been making this (almost) exact recipe for years, and it is the BEST! I do sometimes add other ingredients that I might have on hand like a can of black beans, or corn, or one of my favorites; peel and seed a cucumber & dice it and throw it in! Yummy and fresh- tasting! I could eat it all at one sitting if I let myself! And I always add GARLIC! My mouth waters just thinking about it!
