In Southern California, Mexican food is a pretty big deal. Restaurants of the Mexican sort are plentiful, and many of them are very inexpensive. Tortillas of every make and grind are easily available. Avocados are treasured and loved and affordable year-round. Egg burritos are a welcome breakfast item. Everyone is familiar with “Carne Asada.” The idea of a “fish taco” is not unusual or gross. And salsa rarely comes from a jar.
“Salsa Fresca” translates to “Fresh Sauce” to top Mexican food. When I worked for a caterer for a few years back in college, we made gallons upon gallons of this stuff for too many parties to count. I could make it in my sleep.
How to make Salsa Fresca:
You’ll need these simple and fresh ingredients to make your own fresh salsa:
tomatoes garlic jalapeño peppers fresh cilantro onion fresh lime juice sea salt
Combine chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped jalapeño peppers and freshly minced garlic.
About the jalapeños:
And since I’m predicting that someone will ask, nope… it’s not spicy. I use two medium jalapeño peppers (seeds and ribs completely removed), and my kiddo gobbles this stuff up like there’s no tomorrow. Don’t be afraid of the jalapeños, but do be careful in handling them. The spice gets on your fingers and you need to be careful not to rub your eyes until you can successfully rid your fingers of that spicy stuff (or better yet- use plastic gloves when handling them).
Add chopped fresh cilantro.
Add chopped onion and a little bit of freshly squeezed lime juice.
Give all of your salsa fresca ingredients a stir, add a little sea salt to taste, and that’s it! I prefer to make my salsa a couple of hours ahead of serving time– just to give the flavors a chance to blend together. Just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve.
Salsa Fresca can be served with tacos and burritos, and one of my favorite ways to enjoy it is to add a big spoonful on top of my scrambled eggs. Of course the most popular way to enjoy it is as an appetizer, alongside chips for dunking.
How to make your own low carb tortilla chips:
Shown here, I make my own chips using low carb flour tortillas. I cut them into wedges, place them on a baking sheet, spray them with nonstick olive oil spray and give them a light sprinkle of cumin powder and kosher salt. Then I bake them in the oven at 400 degrees F. until they become crisp (5 to 7 minutes).
Here are a few more recipes for salsa you might enjoy:
Fresh Corn and Sundried Tomato Salsa Strawberry- Avocado Salsa Fruit Salsa Watermelon Salsa Tomatillo Salsa Verde Blueberry Salsa
