Salsa

How do Tex Mex places make their salsa?

I live in Houston and literally every texmex restaurant has top tier salsa. How do they do this? There's no way they're peeling and boiling tomatos when they're giving away gallons of it for free every night.

Do you want a red salsa or green salsa?

Good fresh salsa is easy to make. The first couple recipes you find are probably plenty good. Just try it

They all make both, and they're always both good.

Which one is mildly spicy?

The salsas are always a very deep red color almost artifical looking, while mine are pretty light red and brownish.

Both, actually, but they taste different because one uses tomatoes, and one uses tomatillos.

Light red comes from unripened tomatoes usually. They likely are using canned which are guaranteed to be fresh year round, and usually are thoroughly ripened.

I'll be happy to post some legit recipes for you, but I'm just about to walk out the door to go to the grocery store for some dinner stuff. I promise I won't forget, just check back later tonight.

I'm holding you to this.

Of course that stupid wetback didn't deliver, the wall can't come fast enough desu senpai.

>peeling and boiling tomatos

wat?

Local place in town here has the freshest, most acidic, garlicky, and just spicy enough salsa around. I can drink that shit.

No worries, just got back. Let me eat dinner real quick and take the dog for a quick poo, and I'll be back with recipes.

Okay, here I am.
This first salsa recipe makes a dark, brick red salsa, and it's fucking goooood.

Salsa Borracho:

4 large dried New Mexico chiles
1 large ancho chile
2 cups boiling water
2 large ripe tomatoes (about 1 lb. total)
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/4 tequila (gold or amber)
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
juice of 2 limes
1-2 fresh jalapenos, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup minced cilantro (optional)

Toast the dried chiles on a hot, ungreased skillet until fragrant, pliable, and lightly colored but NOT BURNT (you have to watch them carefully). Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle. (I recommend using gloves). Remove the stem and shake out most of the seeds, and tear them into small pieces. Pour the boiling water over the chiles and let stand until cool. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking water.
Meanwhile, broil or grill the tomatoes until the skin is blistered and peeling. Remove and cool enough to handle. Coarsely chop.
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except the optional cilantro. Process until fairly smooth, but not completely smooth. Refrigerate the salsa for at least a couple hours before using. If you're adding the cilantro, stir in just before serving. Taste for seasoning, and adjust salt and lime if necessary.

Here's a delicious green salsa recipe.

Poblano Salsa:

4 large fresh poblano chiles
4 tomatillos, husked and washed
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup water, chicken broth, or other liquid
1 fresh jalapeno, chopped
2 fresh serranos, chopped (or more or less, depending on how hot you want it)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (yep, do it)
2 tablespoons oil

Roast the poblanos on a grill or under the broiler, turning occasionally, until they're charred on all sides. Put the roasted chiles in a paper sack, and let cool. This will make them easier to peel. Peel off the charred skins, and remove the stems and seeds. Chop the chiles.
Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a blender or food processor and blend until fairly smooth.
Heat the oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add the salsa to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer until thick, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temp, and then store in the fridge. Before serving, add some fresh lime juice and cilantro if desired.

This salsa makes a great ingredient for guacamole.

Another good one, but this one is a little different.

Tropical Habanero Salsa:

1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes
1/2 cup white onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 habanero chiles, stemmed and chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber (seeds scraped out)
1/2 cup finely diced radish
1/2 cup finely diced jicama
1/3 cup minced cilantro

Roast tomatoes and chop. In a food processor or blender, combine tomatoes, onions, orange juice, habaneros, lime juice, and salt and blend until fairly smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust salt and lime, and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.
(this goes well with fish and seafood dishes)

okay, that's a start. I'm exhausted, but I'll post more tomorrow if this thread is still here. I have a bunch more recipes, but they're in a different binder. One of them is a really good recipe for Chile de Arbol salsa, that's one of my everyday go-tos. I'll find the recipe in the morning.

Corn.

Sounds good except there is no way theyre blistering hundreds of tomatoes at these places. They're likely using canned at that

That's not necessarily true. I know several very popular TexMex places that blister their own tomatoes for salsa. I guess it depends on the quality of the restaurant.
However, it doesn't really matter for the OP. He want great salsa at home, not mass produced stuff.

>He want great salsa at home, not mass produced stuff

OP here, I said I wanted to know how those places make their salsa. I'll give those recipes a try but I can almost guarantee they aren't doing all that work just to give it out for free. It is in a sense, mass produced.

I've found that the salsas are more like a pico de gallo then a salsa.

Try this.

Boil some whole tomatoes till the skin comes off, cool and peel.
Chop up some onion finely
Finely chop up some seeded to your desired level of heat
add some fresh cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime.

a blender is literally required for "restaurant style salsa", why would you ever think op was asking for pico?