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By JeanMarie Brownson
Culinary Director
Tomatoes, chiles, garlic and onions–these four basic ingredients have been the flavor foundation of Mexico’s cuisine–and its signature salsas–for centuries. Used along with a few basic cooking techniques like fire-roasting, boiling, toasting and grinding, the combinations are impressive. Factor dozens of varieties of fresh and dried chiles in to the mix and you have a limitless array of stunning salsas with mindboggling possibilities.
The salsa-loving crowd in this country has caught on and manufacturers have responded. Gone forever are the days when our choice was limited to a hot, medium or mild tomato-based salsa. Today, customers can choose salsa by its flavor not just its heat level. Think roasted garlic, fresh cilantro, tomatillo, green pepper, black bean, etc. We are learning our chiles, too, from the ubiquitous jalapeño, to the floral-tasting yet hot habanero to the new darling of those in the know–smoky chipotle (actually a smoked and dried jalapeno). Salsa aficionados here are getting the message–chiles have flavor–not just heat.
Fortunately, salsa with flavor is not just some trumped up idea to spur sales. From one end of Mexico to the other, salsa is set out on tables to add not only zip but character to all sorts of foods–from simple eggs to roasted meats and vegetables. Sort of like how we use salt and pepper in this country. Each region, and indeed each cook, has their own specialties from the arbol chile-tomatillo salsa of Guadalajara to the thick, black, chile pasilla salsa spiked with pulque in Central Mexico.
In Mexico, there are essentially three kinds of salsa. First, there is the chopped ripe tomato, fresh chile and fresh cilantro “relish” that many of us know as “pico de gallo.” In Mexico, it’s made fresh for every meal; its closest cousin here, may be the “fresh” salsas sold in refrigerated cases.
Mexico’s thin, vinegary, very spicy chile sauces keep better and consequently are more readily available. In this country, we think of them as ‘hot sauces” and they are somewhat related to our Louisiana-style hot sauces (though in Mexico they have more body and flavor).
The best-known salsa style (and the kind that most easily translates to store shelves) is the classic Mexican salsas that are typically made with cooked tomatoes or tomatillos and fresh or dried chiles. Whether the tomatoes or tomatillos (and onions and garlic, too) are boiled or roasted over an open flame depends on the penchant of the cook. Likewise the selection and treatment of the chile.
Salsas have gained in popularity in recent years not only because they offer a wide range of flavors but also because they do it (usually) with no fat, lots of vegetables and a minimum of sodium.
By now just about everyone knows that salsa outsells ketchup in this country. What some folks may not realize is that we are beginning to use salsa much like we use ketchup–as an ingredient in recipes. Just think about the recipe contestant who won a million dollars for her recipe featuring salsa, chicken and couscous. Surely that’s a sign to many on this side of the border–salsa can be so much more than a dunk for tortilla chips.
Salsas go with just about everything–from those crisp tortilla chips to simply prepared meats and poultry, to a myriad of appetizers. Let’s take a cue from Mexico where various salsas form the foundation of hundreds of classic dishes–from simple stews to complex preparations.
So get in the salsa groove and think beyond chips!
Holiday Menu Ideas
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