Salsa Roja or Salsa de Mesa or Salsa Mexicana
Simple, fresh, and easy to make. A winning Mexican restaurant style salsa prepared with plum tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and serrano peppers. Fresh tomatoes, not canned, star in this recipe.
In Mexico, it is known as salsa roja (red sauce)or salsa de mesa (table sauce). And just like in the U.S., it is served in every restaurant before your meal with tortilla chips.
Try With These Dishes
This salsa goes really well with quesadillas, carne asada, chorizo tacos, chicken fajitas, chicken taquitos, and nachos.
This is an easy Mexican salsa recipe that you will make again and again. Follow the simple steps to get great results every time.
Start with Fresh Ingredients. They Count
Homemade salsa starts with fresh ingredients. The fresher they are the better the results. Don’t use canned tomatoes. It gives the salsa a metallic taste.
You’ll notice that there aren’t any limes in the recipe. Whhhaaattt? Lime juice throws off the balance of flavors by overpowering the flavor of the tomatoes. But, if you prefer your salsa with lime try adding the juice from only one lime at a time until you get it perfect.
Ingredients
- 1 pound plum (Roma) tomatoes
- 1 half medium white onion
- 2 serrano chiles or small jalapeños
- 1 clove garlic (optional)
- 8 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Chop the Ingredients Before Blending
You need to chop the ingredients before adding them to the blender. Precise chopping isn’t important. You just need smaller pieces so that it is easier to blend without adding water.
Don’t Add Water
Put all of the ingredients in your blender. Adding the tomatoes first makes it much easier to blend.
Do not add water unless it won’t blend and then only add 2 tablespoons of water at a time. Most of the time you won’t have to add any. Too much water makes the salsa runny.
You want a full-bodied slightly chunky tomato salsa.
Pulse to Get It Started
The easiest way to get it started it to pulse the blender 5 or 6 times until the blades start to catch. Then blend for about 30 to 45 seconds until it is fully blended but still has a coarse texture. The salsa sticks to tortilla chips better when it has a little texture.
Fry in Hot Oil
Once the salsa is blended, you are going to fry it in 2 tablespoons of hot cooking oil. To fry it you just pour it into the hot oil. This step is important to develop the flavor of the salsa and helps bind it. Don’t skip it.
Simmer Until Perfect
Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes until it has taken on a deep red color and has more body. Looks good, doesn’t it? The tomatoes need to be very ripe for the sauce to take on the deep red color in the photos.
There you have it, a delicious cooked salsa recipe!
Cool and Serve
Allow your restaurant salsa to cool and then serve with tortilla chips, tacos, or anything else you enjoy with salsa.
It is so easy to make you should always have some in your refrigerator. Let us know what you think!
Make it Your Go To Homemade Salsa Recipe. Provecho!
Restaurant Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound plum Roma tomatoes
- 1 half medium white onion
- 2 serrano chiles or small jalapeños
- 1 clove garlic optional
- 8 sprigs cilantro fresh
- 2 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles (Leave them in if you want a hotter salsa)
- Roughly chop the tomatoes, onion, chiles, and cilantro
- Add the chopped vegetables to your blender (Do not add extra water unless needed and then add a couple of tablespoons at a time)
- Add ½ teaspoon salt
- Blend the salsa until it has a coarse texture
- Preheat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan
- Pour the blended salsa in the hot oil
- Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low
- Simmer for 15 minutes
- Adjust the salt
Notes
- 1 clove of garlic
- Juice from 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
Nutrition
Tools
- Cutting board
- Kitchen knife
- 4-quart pot
- Kitchen spoon
- Serving bowl
Susan says
THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. I have tried so many other recipes that have been a major fail. This salsa is spectacularly flavored! I used jalapeños because I am wimpy. My husband is ready for another batch, and so am I. Again, thank you for sharing this perfectly flavored salsa. YUM!
Douglas Cullen says
Susan, glad you liked it! Cheers!
Dan says
Looking forward to this. Does it freeze well?
Douglas Cullen says
It freezes really well. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers!
Andrew Z says
Hi Douglas,
This recipe looks very tasty. Have you ever modified it for canning (making it shelf stable, not using canned tomatoes as an ingredient)?
I’ve got about 30lbs of tomatoes that are a few days away from meeting their salsa jars.
Thanks!
Andrew
Douglas Cullen says
Andrew,
I would imagine it could be canned but keep in mind I have no experience with canning so I am really just making a guess. You will have to check with a more reliable source that knows about canning tomatoes. It does freeze very well though. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Cheers!
Kathryn says
How long will it keep just in the fridge?
Jack says
I just made this using jalapeños instead of serrano. I used a larger onion and one more tomato. Now I boiled then simmered but it didn’t get as red as the photo above. Is this normal or did I do something wrong? How do I get that deep red tone?
Douglas Cullen says
The color varies depending on the tomatoes. So just naturally turn darker when cooked. Did you use plum tomatoes or regular tomatoes? Plum tomatoes will get darker than regular tomatoes. Did use do the step where you cook the salsa in hot oil? This step helps a lot to darken it. Cheers!
Stuart Laub says
Yo preparé una salsa. Fue muy picante y muy bueno. Fue salado y dulce pero se ve delicioso. Tenia bueno sabor. El jalapeño y los pimientos son muy picantes. Yo encanta la comida picante y la salsa. Mi salsa es mas jugoso que mi amigo Will salsa. Salsa es bueno para fiestas. Salsa es mas cremoso que otro salsa.
Kelly says
Made this recipe about an hour ago for a Christmas salsa contest! Turned out amazing and hope everyone likes it!
Douglas Cullen says
Let us know how it goes. Cheers!
Samantha Esparza says
I followed the recipe and also added cumin, a garlic clove, and simmered after boiled for 45 minutes, but the color is still orange, not red. How do I get the red color?
Douglas Cullen says
Samantha, it really depends on the tomatoes. We started with really red ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes are a little more pale the salsa tends to be on the orange side. It will be just as tasty though. Cheers!
Rachel says
So excited to try this! (Have to use jalapeño because i couldn’t find Serrano in two different stores). Do you know how much it makes? I have several size jars and want to use the right size.
Thanks!
Douglas Cullen says
Rachel, you can substitute jalapeños for the serrano chiles and get great results. Try the recipe with 2 jalapeños and if the salsa is too spicy reduce it to one. Removing the seeds and veins from the chiles reduces the heat too. Cheers!
Abby says
This is the BEST salsa! The Verde is great too. I didn’t habe Serranos so used jalapenos. Salsa wasn’t “right” so sent son to store, added Serranos. Perfection! Note i use both peppers in recipe. When people come in and see tomatillos on counter they get very happy! This recipe had enhanced our lives bc it’s great. Freezes well and i can use non gmo organic ingredients. Thank you.
Nona Y says
I made this salsa today; included the cumin, lime and garlic as suggested. However, I had to use diced green chiles instead of the serrano peppers because the peppers are too hot for my family (I like it but…they won out). Mild and delish! Next time I may use roasted romas instead of regular roma tomatoes. Great recipe. Gracias!