Ingredients:
6-8 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
½ medium onion, peeled and minced
1 serrano OR jalapeño pepper, trimmed and minced*
1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 limes, juiced
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. sugar (optional)
Equipment:
Kitchen knife
Cutting board
Gloves
Medium bowl
Measuring cups and spoons
Food processor (optional)
Directions:
*Use extreme caution while handling spicy peppers. Use gloves and be sure not to touch your eyes. Wash hands and equipment immediately after handling spicy peppers.
- Wash and prepare the produce by chopping, peeling, trimming and mincing them as noted in the ingredients list. For milder salsa, just use the spicy pepper flesh and for an extra kick add the seeds to the mixture.
- In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, pepper, garlic and cilantro.
- Squeeze juice of 1 lime into the bowl. Season with salt. Mix ingredients together. Let stand for 15 minutes to develop flavor.
- Taste and add more lime juice or salt if desired. Add sugar if the flavor is too acidic.
Note: For a faster version of the recipe, combine roughly chopped ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until it reaches the desired consistency. You can also substitute the fresh tomatoes with canned tomatoes in the winter.