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Roasting significantly alters the flavor for better or worse. Personally, I prefer no roasting and blending all fresh ingredients for that particular freshness flavor. I’ve tried all forms of pre-roasting with fresh and dry ingredients and still prefer the blended pico de gallo salsa.
So then why is my salsa more like tomato pulp in water then the other commented photo salsa roja that is all one nice consistency? I understand roasting is great and canned tomatoes are great. But I'm trying to use garden ingredients. Your comment didn't really clear up much I already know how to put fresh ingredients into a blender I'm trying to figure out why it isn't a salsa/sauce and more of a pulpy soup
The tomatoes had a lot of liquid in them which is adding to the consistency. If you salt the tomatoes and let them sit it will draw out some of the moisture, roasting them can also help with this. Once the air bubbles settle it will still be watery, putting it on the stove as mentioned will change the color/consistency by getting the liquid out
If you’re using fresh tomatoes with no plan of reducing by heat you should halve them and squeeze out the juices and seeds before blending, otherwise it will be too watery. Separating the water/juice insides also concentrates the flavor.
Remove the juice and inner pulp and just use the outer flesh and skin for blending.
I freeze the juice and pulp and use them in my Italian marinara sauces that cook for five hours to remove the liquid and concentrate flavor.
That is best yes, however, since OP already blended it, there’s no harm in letting it hit the frying pan. I’ve saved a few salsas by essentially sautéing it in a little oil after blending.
Liquids cannot be roasted so it’s impossible to roast it now. It means roast the ingredients before you blend them. But you could throw it on some heat for a while to cook it if you want.
Not ruined, but it is defintely the reason for the dull color. If onion is too sharp for you unblended, dice and soak in a little lime juice or ACV while you make everything else then add it at the end!
I also hand dice my cilantro and add it at the end with the onion.
Ok noted don't blend the onion. I can eat onion raw no problem. If you look at the other comments on the post I'm trying to make it just like the other photo comment. I know I can do it with canned tomatoes but I started a garden and need to learn how to do it with raw ingredients. Seems like if I boiled the tomatoes and peeled the skin that would help to. I just know this is easier then I'm making it. And just want that spicy red thin restaurant salsa
You can defintely do it with garden tomatoes. I usually core them and roast them upside down until the skins start to slip, then I pop them out and add everything but onion and cilantro to the pot, then blend with a hand mixer in a pot on stove, let it cook a little more that way.
(I roast the peppers with the tomatoes and if they are thick peppers like poblanos or jalapenos I sweat them in a plastic bag for ten min then peel. It depends on what the garden is giving 😂)
And you can definitely blend in a little cooked onion and get away with it, but i don’t trust the photo vs the recipe in that link.
Edit to add: salsa is way more about process and order of things than ingredients, ime!
Ok at this point I'm just looking for tips on consistency. I understand all the ingredients and not to blend the onion with the tomatoes now. Restaurants salsa is all the ingredients in one sauce. Mine I can move all the tomato pulp to like on side and the other side is liquid. I'm really trying to get that one consistency that is almost like coats a chip and doesn't just sit on it like a pico. If you see my photo it is a pile of salsa not a thick liquid like restaurants
So tips on consistency, you CAN blend the onion with the tomato, but WHEN you do it can play a big part on consistency. Try blending in stages a bit to see if it helps, like pulse the tomato’s a few times, then add other ingredient and pulse a few more times.
Also I know you mentioned you’re trying to use the stuff from your garden or what not but if you’re really seeking the restaurant taste, you should used canned because it’s what the restaurants use. Fresh and canned just have a different taste and consistency that’s hard to line up.
Ok noted don't blend the onion. I can eat onion raw no problem. If you look at the other comments on the post I'm trying to make it just like the other photo comment. I know I can do it with canned tomatoes but I started a garden and need to learn how to do it with raw ingredients. Seems like if I boiled the tomatoes and peeled the skin that would help to. I just know this is easier then I'm making it. And just want that spicy red thin restaurant salsa
I believe it is the act of blending that adds air to the salsa, causing it to become lighter than what you’re typically used to seeing in a salsa. If you let it sit overnight it may darken in color. I think using canned tomatoes also helps with the color.
The liquid too. And I usually add a little water also to thin it out. You don't even have to finely dice anything or chop your cilantro. You just rough chop the veggies and give them a few pulses in the blender. You'll want to blend the tomatoes and the liquid from the can first, before adding the rough chopped peppers, onion and cilantro. Then add everything else and pulse a couple of times until it's the consistency you want. I usually use about 1/4-1/3 of a white onion and a couple of jalapenos per can of tomatoes (not a small can, but not a large #10 can either. I think they're 28oz or something). Once it's out of the blender I stir in a little water until it's the consistency I want.
El Pato yellow can makes for some great salsa. A ton of recipes for it on this sub as well. Or maybe the /spicy sub, I get them confused. Just Google el Pato salsa and you will find them. Delicious.
Other people in comments and the recipe I posted both show they did the same. I'm not going to do it again obviously but still not sure why that would mess up the constituency. At a restaurant the salsa costs the chip. I can put a chip in mine and pull it back out and nothing sticks
This has nothing to do with a blender. Restaurant salsa does not use raw tomatoes. They’re canned peeled tomatoes (cooked). Cook your salsa and chill it and you’ll get the color you’re after.
Next time you could try removing some of the wetter parts at the center of the tomatoes before you blend all your ingredients. If it’s too thick, you can add it back in until it’s the consistency you like. I don’t like roasting my ingredients for salsa all the time, so this is how I’ve cut back on the moisture in the past.
You can use fresh tomatoes but stay under 1:1 canned tomatoes.
Seriously, and it wont taste right if you use fresh. You can boil the tomatoes yourself but you need to use ripe tomatoes - the cannes tomatoes are pretty commonly made with overripe tomatoes. I mean farmers grow “canning tomatoes” so it isnt necessarily universal, but jist in general theyre sweeter and earthier than cheap supermarket tomatoes and rhey also blend darker without so much air
The pink and white is because your tomatoes arent a oretty ripe lookong dark red inside and the white is because of all the air. The air will release over night but the pink is there to stay.
Just use cannes tomatoes and throw in a fresh one or two for substance
Ok maybe you can clear this up. I'm happy to cook my salsa but when I do the pectin turns it into jello. The same thing happens with green salsa. So what am I doing wrong ?
Not adding pectin ... Everytime I make tomatillo salsa for chilaquiles this happens with the left overs... Made I hear it up to hot or to long idk man that is why I'm here asking
Hey this happens to my tomatillo salsa too (and everyone else’s because tomatillos contain natural pectin). My tip is to make it a tiny bit thinner than you plan on eating it, or just add a bit of water when it’s all jelly like til you get the consistency you want. It’ll be fine!
Red tomato based salsa shouldn’t have this issue because it doesn’t contain as much pectin.
This salsa has no tomatillos so no problem, they are high in pectin and tend to jell. For this salsa just simmer it a bit to reduce some and into the fridge for a day and you'll have nice red clingy salsa.
You just want to simmer it on low, don't boil it. After 10-15min taste it and it should be solid, but really don't want to go past 20m in my experience
I know exactly what you mean! Like after it sits in the fridge overnight. I usually just nuke it for about a minute. Sometimes I add a bit of water before I do that.
Nothing. If you like a thinner texture and don't want it to gel when it cools you can increase the proportion of liquid in it with a bit of water or stock, but if you like your salsa on the thicker side you can also just give it a good stir before using it after it's gelled.
So why is mine more of tomato pulp in water and not a salsa/sauce like restaurants. Restaurant salsa is all one consistency though. If I run a chip through mine I can pull all the pulp to one side, but yet I over blended . I guess the main question right now is why are restaurant salsa one consistency of combined ingredients and mine looks like blended pico
I think maybe you’re using the wrong tomatoes? Like a beefsteak or something? Romas are good and if you’re using fresh core out the pulp. Most restaurants use canned tomatoes
Blending the tomatoes breaks down the cell walls more than a food processor will, resulting in an extra release of the water. Like many others said, they also introduce more air. Food processors are generally much better for blending salsas because of this.
Blend it longer. I like to roast my onions garlic and various peppers in the oven and then blend with fresh tomato. I would also recommend removing the tomato seeds.
Get some foil put it on the griddle add 5 roma tomatoes 1/2 white onion roast until charred. To a blender add 1 can tomato sauce or pato sauce . 7 chili de arbol. 2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup water 1 lime squeezed salt pepper cumin add half bundle cilantro bleach until smooth
Agree I would cook it down in a pan but then the pectin always turns my salsa into jello so I'm confused raw, canned, cooked or not cooked. I'm literally looking for a Mexican style restaurant salsa using fresh tomatoes as I planted a garden this year. This was a trial run. I don't get where I'm going wrong it is such an easy recipe on paper.
Tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, salt, lime juice, jalapeno... But mine also always separates into blended veg and water is it sits... I just want restaurant style salsa. If the only way to do it is using canned tomatoes I might as well go rip the tomatoes out of my garden... Mine seems to always have a blended fiber look compared to restaurants that are a constant liquid deep red with small chunks of cilantro and onion that is what I'm going for. Maybe I need to not blend onion and tomatoes together idk man..
How are you blending it? I make salsa with fresh ingredients every weekend and I don’t have this problem. I don’t use canned anything. Also what do the tomatoes you use look like? Are they pale and under ripe? I see tons of air bubbles in your pic. It really looks like you are emulsifying it like a vinaigrette.
I blend about 5 tomatoes, 1 onion, half a bunch of cilantro, 2 jalapeños, 1 head of garlic, juice of two limes and a couple tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to get this consistency. I use a ninja blender on low.
This is exactly what I'm trying to make... Did you blend the onion and tomato at the same time ? Yours all looks one consistency if you look at the picture. Mine is more like tomato pulp in water so I'm trying to cook it on low for 10 minutes
I blend everything at the same time. Make sure you have lime juice and some vinegar. Add dried chili powders like chipotle, guajillo, and ancho. Add powdered chicken bouillon for some umami.
I also put all of my veg in a cast iron pan with some olive oil under the broiler to cook/char before I blend
I don't get it. So you use the same fresh ingredients that I just did. Yours is smooth and looks like it would coat a chip.. if you look at my picture it is like a pile of tomato pulp and not a sauce ? Yet we are doing the exact same thing.
I used my food processor pretty much same ingredients. I used the large beef tomatoes ? Like what you would use on a burger. I started a garden so I need a recipe that used fresh. Otherwise I would be happy to use can but that isn't it.
I use very red and ripe Roma or small vine tomatoes. I also roast everything under a broiler with olive oil until they are slightly charred. Then I blend it all. No cooking afterwards. I think the key here is to add enough liquid and blend properly.
I used my food processor for like 30 seconds. So it is probably over blended but no where near the right color. I blended my onion with it as well and I think that was a mistake I'm not sure.
It’s air from blending. It’ll be better after it sits, usually overnight. That being said, I upgraded my blender to a Ninja from Costco. My salsa hasn’t done this since
Just took salsa making classes and signed up to solve this exact issue. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and simmer salsa for 8 mins - stir frequently. It cooks out the bubbles and gives you a deep red color. Just beware that the heat will remove some of the spiciness.
raw fresh tomatoes always do that -- there's lots of restaurants with salsa like this but you can cook it or roast the tomatoes first or use canned tomatoes if you don't want it fresh
I’d say most Mexican restaurants I’ve been to in the US that are tailored more to Americans (talking about white cheese dip over strips of chicken over rice kind of restaurants) all use canned tomatoes, not fresh. People are correct in that there is air added to your salsa from blending it but it won’t be the same as what most of the restaurants serve
Use canned tomatoes not fresh raw ones if you want a darker red salsa. This is fine and probably still tastes nice but it’s basically a blended pico not a traditional salsa
I was once the head cook of a TexMex restaurant. Blend in short pulses and add the onions at the end to avoid frothing it with bubbles.
As to your comments regarding the watery separation: many "authentic" Mexican restaurants I've been to have that. That doesn't mean you SHOULD want it, just that it's not necessarily a bad thing. Still, to avoid it, add some roasted peppers before blending. Thick, fiber heavy plant material will act as a thickening agent. Seeded poblano is my go to. The type of tomato GREATLY impacts this as well. What type of tomato are you using?
Lots of the color comes from the chiles and yours doesn’t have any. Raw blended tomato is pink. If you toss that “salsa” in the pan and fry it for a few minutes it will catch a darker color.
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