Salsa Fresca ~ Fresh Salsa

Depending upon the area in Mexico, this is called Salsa Fresca or Salsa Cruda, it is a fresh, uncooked salsa.

You'll find it very versatile; served as a dip for tortilla chips, as a table salsa with many kinds of foods; Mexican dishes ~ or any simply prepared chicken, fish, beef or pork, as well as on scrambled eggs. I particularly like it as a condiment with grilled or roasted foods, as well as with beans or rice. I always stir some into my homemade guacamole.

I've been making this for almost 30 years ~ I've never found a fresh salsa I like better. For parties I have made quarts of this, and there is seldom any left. I love this stuff!!

It's a common recipe, but since I learned it from Mexican food authority and cookbook author Diana Kennedy, that's how I refer to it ~ Diana Kennedy's Salsa Cruda.

The Sinaloa version includes scallions and lime juice instead of the onions and water, the Yucatean version calls for Seville orange juice in lieu of the water ~ but this one is my favorite.

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make one of the most flavorful salsas around.

Far superior than anything you can buy; fresh or jarred, in my opinion.

Salsa Mexicana Cruda ~ Fresh Mexican Sauce

Although this can be made up to three hours ahead, it is best made at the last moment for optimum flavor and texture.

Through the years I've tweaked Diana's recipe just a little; my notes are in italics.

Ingredients:
1 tomato (about 6 ounces), leave skin on
1/2 medium onion
6 sprigs fresh coriander (more if you love it!)
1 to 3 fresh chiles, preferable serranos (my favorite) but I've used fresh jalapeno, too.
Diana's recipe calls for 3 chilis, but since each chili can vary so much in heat intensity I always start with less. You can always add more to amp up the heat if you like it hotter after it's made.
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/3 cup cold water
(I prefer a less watery salsa, so I hold back on this until I determine how juicy the tomatoes are. Often I only add a tablespoon of water, or less.)

Assembly:

Finely chop all of the ingredients.
(Diana advises not to remove the seeds or pith from the chili -but I do if the chilis are really hot, just to tame them a bit.)
Mix together in a bowl, stir in the salt and add more if needed.
Add water. If the tomatoes are really juicy, you may not need much water at all.