A fresh, rustic, thick Mexican salsa in which ripe tomato, avocado, chili, white onion, cilantro, and lime are crushed and combined without cooking, like a table condiment served with tortillas, beans, or meat in sauce.
Ingredients
- 500 g very ripe round tomatoes
- 2 pieces perfectly ripe avocados
- 0.5 pieces fresh white onion
- 1 piece fresh serrano chili
- 2 pieces unwaxed lime
- 0.5 bunches fresh cilantro
- 1 tsp fine salt
Method
- Wash the tomatoes, cilantro, chili, and limes. Dry the herbs thoroughly to prevent a watery salsa. The tomatoes should feel soft to the touch and smell fragrant near the stem end.
- Remove the stem ends from the tomatoes, then cut them into even pieces. Keep their juice on the cutting board; it is part of the salsa and will provide the natural binder.
- Peel the white onion and chop it very finely. The aim is to create small, crunchy flecks rather than large dominant pieces. If the onion is very strong, rinse it briefly in cold water and drain it well.
- Remove the stem from the chili. For a mild salsa, remove the seeds and white membranes; for a livelier salsa, leave them in. Chop it very finely so the heat is evenly distributed rather than concentrated in a fiery bite.
- In a molcajete or heavy mortar, first grind the chili with the salt until you have a moist, fragrant paste. Add the onion and continue grinding briefly; it should release a little juice while retaining some bite.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice and crush them with short presses. Aim for a thick, irregular texture with bound red juice and still-visible pieces; do not blend, or the salsa will become foamy and too thin.
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, scoop out the flesh, and dice it. Immediately drizzle it with the lime juice to preserve its color and add the necessary acidity.
- Gently fold the avocado into the tomato base with a spoon rather than crushing it completely. The right texture alternates between distinct avocado pieces and slightly creamy areas that thicken the salsa.
- Finely chop the fresh cilantro, including the tender stems if they are fragrant, then add it to the salsa. Mix once more, taste, and adjust only with salt and lime if needed.
- Let it rest in the refrigerator for a few minutes, covered with plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface, just long enough for the onion, chili, and tomato to meld. Serve chilled but not ice-cold, with tortillas, beans, or alongside a saucy main dish.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 166.1 kcal
- Protein
- 3.26 g
- Carbohydrate
- 16.23 g
- Fat
- 11.6 g
- Fibre
- 8.28 g
- Calcium
- 31.95 mg
- Iron
- 0.38 mg
- Magnesium
- 22.6 mg
