Cinco de Salsa

Despite how delicious last week’s Taco Soup post was, my Mexican craving has yet to be fully satiated. So, in honor of Cinco de April, I present to you Cinco de Salsa! 5 easy must-know salsa recipes that you can break out on any occasion!

The great thing about salsa is how versatile it is. You can throw it on top of just about anything to spice up your meal. Personally, I enjoy grilled cheese with tomato salsa, or baked tilapia with corn salsa… but really the options are endless.

Because this little concoction can be mixed up in an endless array or varieties, I’ve decided to start you novice chefs off with 5 basic, easy, and delectable variations (each of which is a slightly tinkered with random recipe that I found online). Feel free to change up the recipes to make them to your liking… anything goes with salsa!

Tricks of the trade:

• Any time you use jalapeno peppers make sure you remove the seeds! If you skip this step you will be in for one fiery and unpleasant surprise.
• Make sure you pick avocados that are ripe. This will ensure full flavor, and easier removal from shell. To test this out, search for avocados that are a deep purple cover and slightly soft to the touch.
• Size matters. The degree to which you chop your ingredients affects both flavor and texture. Finer dices make ingredients blend in more, while larger cuts will allow ingredients to taste more bold.

Uno: Pineapple Salsa

–       Good with Fish, Pork, Chicken, or Chips

• 1 cup diced pineapple
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
• 2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 squirt lime juice
• salt to taste

Dos: Corn Salsa

–       Good with chips, chicken, beef, or pork

• 2 large cans of sweet yellow corn
• 2 diced tomatoes
• 1/2 finely chopped red onion
• 1 diced scallion
• 1 diced jalapeño (remove seeds or your mouth will be on fire)
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 2 squirts of lime juice
• chili powder to taste
• salt to taste

Tres: Straight up Salsa

–       Good with anything!

• 4 diced red tomatoes
• 3 diced jalapeno peppers
• 4 minced cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup diced white onion
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

Cuatro: Black Bean Salsa

–       Good with chips, beef, and chicken

• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can sweet whole kernel corn
• 2 diced red tomatoes
• 1 diced avocado
• 1 diced onion
• 1/8 chopped cilantro leaves
• 2 squirts lime juice
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Salt to taste

Cinco: Avocado Salsa

–       Good with chips and chicken

• large ripe avocado
• 1 large chopped red tomato
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 squirt lime juice
• 2 tsp minced jalapeño pepper
• 1 minced clove garlic
• Salt to taste

Get out there and start chopping! Which salsa is your favorite? Do you have any recipes you like that I haven’t included? I wanna hear from you!

Until next post, enjoy!

April 5, 2011 | Categories: Lunch/Dinner, Snacks | Tags: avacado salsa, basic salsa recipes, black bean salsa, corn salsa, easy mexican, easy salsa, fun types of salsa, pineapple salsa, quick and easy mexican, quick and easy salsa, tomoto sala, varieties of salsa | Leave a comment