Description
This fermented salsa recipe is easy to make, and packed with gut healthy probiotics. The salsa so delicious, and perfect for dipping with tortilla chips. It’s a great recipe for people new to fermenting.
Ingredients
For fermenting
- 3 pounds tomatoes, (can use a mix of types – see notes on my preferences)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (Do NOT use table salt – see notes on why)
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium red, or yellow onion, cut into chunks
- optional: 1 to 2 jalapenos, sliced (remove seeds for less heat, if preferred)
For after fermentation
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 bunch of cilantro – about 1 cup – chopped (tender stems can be included)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons kosher salt (see notes)
- optional: 1 to 3 teaspoons granulated sugar (if needed, to cut down on the acidity)
For serving
- Your favorite tortilla chips
Instructions
- Prepare: Make sure all the equipment, you are using is clean. It doesn’t need to be sanitized, or even freshly cleaned, but just make sure it there isn’t any obvious dust, or food particles etc.
- Chop the tomatoes: Chop your tomatoes. I like to use a combo of grape tomatoes, and larger, juicy tomatoes, but you can use whatever you have, or like. See notes on proportions I like to use. For grape tomatoes, slice them in half. For larger tomatoes, cut them into 1 to 2 inch large chunks. Place all of the tomatoes into the mixing bowl. NOTE: I find it helpful to use a kitchen scale to make sure I have the exact amount of ingredients for this recipe so they fit nicely in the jars. Place the empty bowl on the scale and tare it (so that it zeros out), then you can add the tomatoes to the bowl as you’re cutting them to see how many pounds you have. This isn’t super necessary, but it is helpful. Add the 2 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt to the bowl with the tomatoes so the salt can start drawing the liquid out of the tomatoes. This may seem like a lot of salt, but it is necessary for fermenting the salsa.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Add the garlic, jalapenos, and the onion. If using a scale, you only want the total weight of the ingredients to equal 3.8 pounds – any more than that and the ingredients won’t fit into 2 jars and you will need to discard it. To make sure I don’t go over 3.8 pounds, I hold back some of the onion, if needed. NOTE: I know it seems weird to add the ingredients in such large amounts, but don’t worry, we will be using a food processor after fermentation to chop everything up to create a chunky, salsa. Stir the ingredients together until the salt is dissolved.
- Add the ingredients to the jars: You will need 2 wide-mouth 24 ounce (3 cup) canning jars. Add a layer of the tomato mixture to the jar – I like to use a canning funnel (pictured in the post) to make things easier – fill about 1/3 of the way full, then use a drink muddler, or the bottom of a wooden spoon, to press the tomatoes down. This step is crucial to ensure that all the tomatoes are covered in the brine (AKA the tomato liquid). Once the tomatoes have been squished down, add more tomatoes so that the jar is about half way full – then, squish them down again. Repeat this process until the entire jar has been filled with tomatoes, and they have been squished down, and are mostly submerged under the liquid. Then, move on to the second jar, doing the same process until all of the tomatoes have been used. At this point, the jars should be full to the top. If they seem a little dry on top add more brine from the bottom of the bowl.
- Weigh down the salsa: IMPORANT, DO NOT SKIP. It is very important to keep the tomatoes underneath the liquid line – otherwise it will mold. To do this you need some kind of weight. I LOVE using glass fermenting weights, like these, however, you can also use a circle of parchment paper and a baggie of rocks…or something like that. the parchment paper will help keep any floaters from coming up to the surface, and the rocks will keep anything from floating up.
- Prepare the jars for fermenting: After making sure the salsa is nicely submerged under the liquid, and weighted, use a paper towel to wipe anything off the rim of the jar to make sure it’s clean. Then, loosely add the lids to the jar. You want to keep the lid loose to allow any gases that might build up to escape. Place the jars under a tray, or some kind of container to catch any possible spills. Write the date on the jars – trust me, it’s helpful.
- Ferment the salsa: Place the jars in a dark place (doesn’t have to be dark all of the time, but it shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight). We place ours in our window-less basement, it works fine. Allow the salsa to ferment for anywhere from 2 to 5 days. You will want to check on it every other day, at least. With this ferment it is harder to see signs of fermentation. You might see some bubbles, but not a huge amount of activity. My main sign that the salsa has fermented long enough is when the jalapenos turn a muted green, and the red onion turns lighter in color. The length of time it takes your salsa to ferment will depend on the temperature of the fermenting space, along with the sweetness of your tomatoes (more on that in the notes). The cooler it is, the longer it will take, the warmer it is, the less time it will take – so keep that in mind when you check on it. The temperature of the room can be anywhere from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything colder than that might not allow the salsa to ferment, and anything above 75 degrees might allow the food to spoil. See notes for signs that your salsa has gone bad.
- Finish the salsa: After the salsa has fermented, you can finish the salsa. NOTE: if your salsa is done fermenting, but you don’t have time to finish making the salsa, that’s okay – you can store the jars in your fridge until you’re ready to work with it. Once ready, remove the weights from the jars. Place a fine mesh strainer over top of a bowl – and dump the contents of one jar into the strainer – you may need to use a spoon, or spatula to help release everything that has been packed in. Allow as much of the liquid to drain, you can use a spatula to push down on the salsa, if needed.
- Blend: After the salsa has drained off a lot of it’s liquid, then you can blend the salsa in the food processor to chop it up. I pulse it 1 to 2 times, remove the lid and give it a stir, then pulse 1 to 2 more times. We like our salsa on the chunky side, so we don’t process it much more than that – but if you want it to be finer, then you can process it a little more. OPTIONAL STEP: Add the salsa back to the strainer to drain out more liquid. You DON’T HAVE to do the double strain if you’re okay with a more liquidy salsa, but this is how we prefer it. keep in mind that you will be adding more liquid in the form of lime juice (which, is more flavorful than the tomato brine). Once drained again, add the salsa to a clean mixing bowl. Repeat this process with the second jar of salsa. You can discard the brine liquid.
- Add the remaining ingredients: To the bowl of drained, and chopped salsa, add the freshly squeezed lime juice, chopped cilantro, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. NOTE: most of the salt we used before is discarded with the tomato brine liquid, so we need to season the actual salsa. Stir to combine. Taste the salsa and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, if needed. If the salsa seems too acidic to you, then you can add the 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar to mellow it out. I usually don’t add this, but it can depend on the types of tomatoes you use, and just how acidic they happen to be. The salsa won’t be sweet, just helps to tame the acidity. Transfer the salsa to an air tight container, or to a clean mason jar.
- Chill: The salsa is best enjoyed after it has chilled for at least 2 hours. This is especially true if you did the last steps right after the salsa was done fermenting, and it didn’t get a chance to sit in the fridge first.
- Enjoy: Spoon out the salsa in to a bowl, and enjoy with some salty tortilla chips for dipping – so good! This salsa also makes a great topping to any Mexican-style dish. We love it on tacos, fajitas, breakfast tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, etc. But, honestly, we most often just enjoy it with some chips. The salsa will last in the fridge for up to 1 month. It may last longer, but we always eat it up really fast.
Notes
types of tomatoes I like to use – I like to use a combo of grape tomatoes (for sweetness), and larger juicy tomatoes. I use 1 pound of grape tomatoes, and 2 pounds bigger tomatoes. You can use any combo you prefer, or just one kind. If you want to use all grape tomatoes, I would recommend using at least one larger juicy tomato to ensure you get enough juice from it to cover the tomatoes. Also, keep in mind that using mostly grape tomatoes might speed up the fermenting process since they contain more sugar, so keep an eye on them. If using all regular tomatoes, the fermenting process might take a little longer since the tomatoes aren’t as sweet.
Why you CANNOT use table salt – Table salt has anti-caking agents, and iodine in it, which will prevent the salsa from fermenting. I personally use kosher salt, but pickling salt, or sea salt would also work.
Yes, you really need that much salt – It may seem like too much salt. But, that amount of salt is 100% necessary to for the fermenting process. Too little salt and the salsa will not ferment, and it will mold. Remember, salt is a preservative. The end result will not taste too salty. So, don’t skimp on the amount of salt for the fermentation process.
Why we add more kosher salt after fermentation – The salt that was added before fermenting mostly stayed with the brine liquid that was discarded, therefore we need to add more salt to flavor the actual salsa we will be eating.
Equipment that I find helpful for this recipe – a kitchen scale, 2 24 ounce wide mouth mason jars, a canning funnel, a muddler, glass fermenting weights, and a fine mesh siv.
Signs your salsa has gone bad// Do NOT eat!! – If you see mold in the salsa itself, or it just smells like it’s gone bad, do NOT eat it. It should have a funky, fermented smell, but it shouldn’t smell spoiled. I have personally never had a problem with this salsa going bad, probably because it’s a relatively short ferment time, but use your best judgement here.
A word of encouragement – If you have never fermented anything before, I know that it can be daunting, and seem tedious. But, I promise, it’s actually very easy, especially once you know what you’re doing, and what to look for. It’s more of a method, than a recipe. The worst that can happen is you waste a few tomatoes, and then you need to try again. You’ve got this!
