Summer may be winding down (boooooo), but it’s not too late to experiment incorporating delicious and abundant summer fruits into one of my favorite condiments: fresh salsa. Summer + salsa = strawberry salsa recipe!
At first, strawberry salsa sounds… mmm… weird? But I urge you to throw out any notions you have of what’s right or wrong, what’s a vegetable or a fruit, and just ease back and accept this deliciousness. You may never go back.
We haven’t in my household.
Fresh, not jarred. Never jarred. *Shiver*
If you hear “salsa” and think “Tostitos,” then do me a favor and stop what you’re doing and erase all memory of that jarred monstrosity from your memory. Fresh salsa tastes nothing like jarred. While it’s made from fresh ingredients, it lasts a good week in the refrigerator, though it usually gets eaten before that, it’s so yummy. I always have a batch sitting around.
Salsa is incredibly easy to make if you have a food processor. I use this one, and it makes everything easier, from salsa to chocolate banana ice cream to pizza crust (yes, yes, I’m bad–-it’s my weekly treat).
If you do not have a food processor, you could use a good blender, as long as you don’t mind the salsa being smooth, as opposed to chunky. Otherwise, you can just do it old fashioned-style with a knife and a cutting board and some good ol’ elbow grease.
The beautiful thing about fruit salsas is that they don’t need to be really sweet, so it’s a great use for strawberries or other fruit that isn’t perfectly ripe. However, ripe fruit works beautifully as well.
Strawberry Salsa Recipe
- 1 pint of strawberries, tops cut off
- 1/4C of onion, chopped
- ½ clove of garlic, minced
- Bunch of cilantro leaves
- 1T red wine vinegar OR lime juice OR a combo of both
- ½ to 1 jalapeno, minced (to taste, varies with pepper)
- ¼ to ½ tsp salt (to taste)
If you have a food processor, throw all the ingredients into a processor and pulse until you have the consistency you like.
If you are using a blender, cut the strawberries a bit, even just in half, and turn on. Blend as little time as necessary.
If you have neither, then you’re going to have to finely chop the strawberries, onions, and the cilantro. Throw everything in a bowl and mix.
Voila! I use this delicious salsa on tacos. It’s sublime with steak or carne asada, but also works well with fish or, of course, with tortilla chips.
The above recipe is an approximation; usually, I just throw the stuff unmeasured in the processor and taste. I will say this, though: Be wary of the onion and garlic, especially the garlic. While a tomato or tomatillo or cucumber salsa holds up well with 1-2 cloves of garlic, for this salsa it tends to overpower. Start with a small clove or half a medium/large clove, and move up from there if you want more. Onion is optional as well, but it gives it a nice savory bite, and sets it apart from tasting like agua fresca or jam. Cilantro is also optional. I love it, but not everyone does, so you could leave it out. As for the jalapenos, you could use any hot pepper here, just start little and add. Heat from hot peppers varies a lot pepper to pepper. I usually put in half a pepper, mix and taste, and then add more if I need to. Vinegar/lime juice gives the salsa acidity, but it also prolongs the life of the salsa. If it ends up being more liquid than you like, serve with a fork or slotted spoon.
Variations.
Strawberry-blueberry salsa.
I once didn’t have enough strawberries, so I defrosted frozen blueberries and mixed it in. It was absolutely delicious, though I’m not going to lie—fresh would have been slightly better.
Plum/pluot salsa.
Use plums or pluots. They are everywhere, delicious, and the perfect texture for a summer salsa!
Mango salsa.
Yeah, this isn’t a new one, but it’s always sublime. Fresh works best, but the frozen mangoes from Trader Joe’s works really well, also! Just be sure to defrost the mangoes first.
Pineapple salsa.
I’m not going to lie. I haven’t tried making this one. However, pineapple salsa is indeed delicious. Fresh is best, but frozen would work well if defrosted. Canned might work, but it’s a slow third.
Good ol’ tomato salsa.
The salsa is only as good as the ingredients, but summertime is peak season. Get some heirloom tomatoes, or some yummy sweet grape or cherry tomatoes.
Tomatillo salsa.
Tomatillos are wonderful. They have husks around them, and they’re a bit more sour, making a flavorful green salsa. I like to definitely include cilantro and lime juice.
Tomato-cucumber salsa.
I haven’t actually made a pure cucumber salsa, though you could try that, too. Cucumber plus tomatoes, however, is delightful. Use 12-16 ounces of tomatoes and about half a medium cucumber. For this variation, I don’t use lime or cilantro, just about 1.5T of red wine vinegar. It also helps to pulse the cucumbers by themselves for a quick momo before throwing in the rest of the ingredients.
What do you do with salsa?
OMG what DON’T you do with salsa?
The most obvious is tacos, of course. Get some tortillas, heat ’em up in a pan. If you’re melting cheese, throw that on there, throw some meat and/or beans in there, and take off the pan. Throw salsa on liberally once it’s off the heat.
You can also add to bowls, salads, quesadillas, fish, meat, even pasta. Yes, pasta. It’s pretty good if you combine with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, maybe even some avocado.
Even better is that salsa is made with fresh fruits and vegetables, so it’s chock-full of nutrients. Plus, it’s usually very low-calorie, so adding it in abundance to your food won’t throw any diet you’re on. It complements any fitness routine or workout plan beautifully.