The Best Restaurant Salsa Made At Home Food

RESTAURANT-STYLE SALSA

Steps:

• Combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice in a blender or food processor. (This is a very large batch. I recommend using a 12-cup food processor, or you can process the ingredients in batches and then mix everything together in a large mixing bowl.)
• Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.
• Refrigerate the salsa for at least an hour before serving.

THE BEST RESTAURANT SALSA MADE AT HOME

Steps:

• Basically, you just stir up the ingredients and you got it, but since the original recipe called for a 6 pound can of tomatoes I'm really just estimating what I've done to make it a smaller batch.
• I take the pickled jalapeños (which at my store comes as jalapeño rings) and I chop them up fine in my mini processor. Once chopped up fine, I add what I'm estimating as 1 to 2 teaspoons of jalapeños. For those of you who don't measure like me, it seems to be about 6 or 7 medium sized rings from the jar. However, I'm sure size differs from brand to brand. I also like to add a little bit of the juice from the jar, b/c I think that's what helps give it that restaurant flavor. Just a few dribbles.
• My suggestion is to go light on the jalapeños for your first try. Don't trust the first taste of the salsa -- wait until the next day and taste it. It gets hotter after it has had time to sit. So if the next day it isn't hot enough for you, add more chopped jalapeños or just add a little of the jalapeño juice from the jar.
• When it comes to salt be careful not to over salt -- though I've found if I go too light then it doesn't taste right (taste more like store bought). So again, go light and then add small amounts till it tastes right. Same thing with the garlic powder.
• Remember you can always add but ya can't take out. Course, my first batch was so hot that I had to add another 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes before we could eat it (I think that was about 2 tablespoons of jalapeños and some of the juice!).
• The key to it is to be flexible, be willing to try different amounts till it tastes like you want. Have fun with it!

THE BEST RESTAURANT-STYLE SALSA

Steps:

• Heat a grill over medium-high heat.
• In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes in a drizzle of any high smoke point oil. Grab your peppers and onion, and walk them out to the grill. (You can also use an indoor grill pan or a cast iron skillet for this step. I've also had good results just charring the onion and jalapeno straight over a gas burner.)
• Toss the oiled tomatoes, peppers and onion onto the grill. The goal is for the skin of the peppers and the edges of the onion to get some char, for the tomato skin to get blistered enough that you can peel it off, and for the raw edge to get taken off of most of the tomato. Don't let it get overcooked and mushy, though.
• Remove the tomato, peppers, and onion from the grill. Put the tomatoes back in the same bowl you used to toss them in. Cover the bowl with a plate to let the tomatoes steam. This will help remove the skin. Use the blade of a knife to scrape the skins off of the peppers, and remove seeds as desired (we do not remove them).
• Transfer the peppers to the bowl of a food processor along with the onion, garlic, and cilantro. Pulse a few times until coarsely chopped.
• Using your fingers, peel the tomatoes. The skin should come off easily. If you can't get every last bit of skin, don't worry. Add the tomatoes to the food processor, along with the white vinegar, salt, and liquid smoke. Pulse until you reach your desired consistency (from chunky to runny).
• Pour the salsa into a resealable container and transfer to the refrigerator. The salsa is best served chilled, so let it sit for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, or ideally overnight, before serving.

FRESH RESTAURANT-STYLE SALSA

Steps:

• Combine canned and fresh tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a food processor; pulse 5 times to chop. Add cilantro, serrano and jalapeno peppers, lime juice, salt, and cumin and process for 10 seconds. Pulse further to desired consistency. Check and adjust seasoning as desired.