I didn’t can salsa for most of my adult life. It’s not that I don’t like salsa – it’s one of my favourite foods. I didn’t make it because canned salsa was mostly runny, watery and liquid – and that’s not salsa to me.
If you’re canning salsa, there’s 3 absolute tips that I recommend for the best results:
- Add the salt to your tomatoes or other fruit and let it sit for at least 3 hours in a warm spot in your kitchen. This will allow the liquid to release from the tomatoes which will allow the tomatoes to retain more of their texture and assist with tip #2.
- When you are cooking your salsa (before canning it), simmer the liquid without the tomatoes for a few minutes. This will thicken it’s consistency as well as make any remaining fluid much more flavourful (because it’s concentrated).
- When you make salsa, it helps to make 2 or 3 (I prefer 3) different recipes in a single session. This way you can prep the tomatoes for your first recipe and while they are sitting in salt prepare your second and so forth. I cut tomatoes for all 3 batches before the other ingredients and can process them one after another with no waiting time!
We’ll be sharing recipes for these 3 salsas over the rest of the week – by the weekend you’ll be ready to cook all 3!
What’s your secret for awesome salsa?