Simple Salsa Fresca

An easy recipe for SIMPLE SALSA FRESCA that is bursting with freshness and perfect with all your summer tomatoes!

Nothing beats this simple and delicious salsa fresca which means fresh salsa in Spanish! I could live on it especially during the summer when I can get bushels of freshly picked tomatoes. Just the thought of it makes me crave a bowl of this salsa and once you try salsa fresca you will too!

Who doesn’t love chips and salsa? It’s the perfect match. And once you start dipping into this fresh salsa fresca it will be hard to stop! I prefer multi-grain tortilla chips but of course any will do.

This SIMPLE SALSA FRESCA is the perfect compliment not only to tortilla chips but I love it on a variety of other things too.

• Add a scoop (or two) on a salad
• Over chicken, fish, shrimp or even steak! (It’s great with grilled flank steak!)
• Over scrambled eggs
• On tacos (of course!)
• On hamburgers

So what’s the difference between salsa, pico de gallo and salsa fresca? Salsa tends to be more of a puréed tomato mixture which makes the consistency smoother while pico de gallo is freshly chopped and not puréed. So where does salsa fresca fall into the salsa debate? I personally think it’s a mix between salsa and pico de gallo. Some may differ but I find that a pico de gallo is more coarsely chopped which can be done by hand while salsa fresca is finely chopped almost bordering on a chunkier salsa.

At the end of the day whether you call it salsa, pico de gallo or salsa fresca they all have common ingredients it’s just comes down to how it’s prepared and chopped.

MORE ABOUT THIS RECIPE

To make this simple salsa fresca I add all the ingredients to a food processor and pulse it a few times until it’s finely chopped. Now here’s where my little secret to this recipe comes into play. I then add the chopped ingredients to a mesh colander and gently strain the juices out. How much you strain out is completely up to you. I strain mine pretty good and even after straining it and letting the mixture sit for a little bit juices will still extract but the consistency will not be as watery. Straining it is completely optional but that’s how I make mine. You also want to be careful not to over pulse the ingredients in the food processor or you’ll go from a salsa fresca to salsa if you over mix it. You can tell in the images that even after straining and letting it sit there’s liquid so it’s not completely dry and can you also see how finely chopped all the fresh ingredients are which makes this the perfect salsa fresca.

Once you make this delicious and simple salsa fresca you’ll never want to make it anyway else!

Simple Salsa Fresca

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• Author: Jenn
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 pound Roma tomatoes (halved and quartered)
• 1/2 sweet onion (quartered)
• 2–3 garlic cloves
• 1/2–1 jalapeño (stem removed and seeded)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
• Pinch of ground cumin
• Pinch of ground oregano
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Pinch of freshly cracked black pepper

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Instructions

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and gently pulse a few times until ingredients are finely chopped.
2. Transfer mixture to a mesh colander and gently strain juices into a bowl.
3. Transfer salsa to a serving bowl. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

I use 1 seeded jalapeño in this salsa which gives it a little kick without being too hot. If you don’t like it too hot add only 1/2 of a seeded jalapeño.

Love Mexican? Then you’ll want to check out these other recipes too!

The Best White Queso Dip
Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
Slow Cooker Beef Barbacoa