ONIONS (type, quantity, cut size, to your preference)
TOMATOES (ditto, but there's no excuse to use canned)
some kind of HOT PEPPER (serranos are classic, but pickled jalapenos have more flavor, and aren't as hot. Use at least some hot pepper, even if you don't like hot foods)
GARLIC (fresh minced best, but granulated is fine)
LIME JUICE (lemons will work, but Mexicans use limes. more fragrant. Adjust quantity to taste, and never use bottled)
CILANTRO (required)
SALT (best to let people add their own)

Just mix these together, to your taste, and serve with genuine Tostadas - not Nachos or Fritos, which don't taste right.

Tostadas are easy to make - I cut a whole stack of corn tortillas into quarters, then fry them, a few at a time, in very hot oil. Doesn't take long till they're crisp all over; drain on paper towels. The oil can be reused for almost anything except a sweet dish.

It's at its best if it sits around for an hour or so.

You know you've done good if your sauce is so aromatic that it can be smelled at the other end of the room. The garlic, lime juice and cilantro are primarily responsible, with a bit of an assist from the peppers and onions. So be generous with the lime, garlic and cilantro. Never substitute bottled lime juice or vinegar, okay? Without the fresh-squeezed fragrance, you've defeated a main purpose for making salsa.

NOTES:

Salsa is 100% fat free - no oil is EVER added. Omit salt, especially if someone is watching salt intake - then it's 100% salt free, too. Just tell people there's no salt in it. Cilantro is one of the world's most nutritious vegetables, as good, or better than, spinach. You can make salsa without it, but the loss is huge. Once, when I had no cilantro, I tried cucumber, minced. It has a similar powerful "fresh" fragrance, as does cilantro. Result? Ah... okay, barely. Won't do it again unless I have to, though.

The onions and tomatoes are the bulk of the recipe. The others don't add to the quantity much. If you want a LOT of onion, do it. There are no rules about these quantities or the "correct" sizes to cut them in. Suit yourself! I prefer everything finely chopped - doesn't mean YOU have to. Keep the hot peppers to a minimum if you don't know the tolerance of someone who will eat it, and mince them VERY fine. You can supply "supplementary" chopped peppers in a small bowl for those who want more. Taste the finished product before adding more. It gets a little hotter by the next day, too.

This sauce does NOT have to be volcanic. Just don't omit the chiles totally; it will taste fairly humdrum without at least a little. If you're timid, try adding 1-2 tablespoons of just the jalapeno juice from the can to (roughly) 2 cups of sauce. That will work, and the "heat" will hardly be noticeable. The flavor will be there, though. Next time, see if you can add a wee bit of minced peppers, and gradually work yourself up to your OWN tolerance that way.

Any sauce made intentionally volcanic is now called "pico de gallo," or "beak of the rooster." Originally it meant a particular recipe of sauce, but it seems to apply today to any super-hot sauce.

Salsa picante is good for many things. On top of steaks, chops and other meats, in any kind of taco or burrito, as a sandwich relish, or make it into a dip with yogurt, sour cream or mayo. It's great on top of homemade nachos, too. You'll probably figure out some other unique uses for this lovely, chunky sauce.

BTW, if you want to can your sauce, there are many recipes on here, but don't vary from these ingredients by much. The canned sauce won't have the pungent aroma of the fresh, but you can "spiff it up" by adding a bit more garlic, some fresh squeezed lime juice, and some minced cilantro when you dish it out.

I have lived in Mexico for 15 years, so I often recognize recipes that are "off the wall" yet claiming to be Mexican. To this salsa, you need only add some avocado, and you've got GUACAMOLE! And never, EVER, put mayonnaise in guacamole. That's almost blasphemy. It coats the palate and blocks the delicate nutty taste of the avocados, and it can become cloying. So no mayo in guacamole!

Enjoy your salsa - by making it, fresh, yourself!

Submitted by: Holly B.