Authentic Mexican Salsa & Guacamole!

Everyone is trying to save some money these days, and having a little happy hour at home instead of at the bar is a great budget alternative. Of course, having great food and drinks will go a long way towards making your night a big success. In this lens I've shared my favorite recipes for classic salsa and guacamole for when you get the munchies. As a part-time resident of Mexico, I've had the great pleasure of finding out what the "real thing" tastes like, and I've spent years fiddling with the recipes listed in this lens to make them as authentic as possible back home in America. Stay tuned for authentic Margaritas in a future lens!

No matter how good (or bad) your happy hour food and drinks turn out, remember it really all comes down to the people. So reach out to all your friends, co-workers, and family to make it a memorable evening.

Photo courtesy of britsincancun.com at Flickr. Border courtesy of clipartandcrafts.com

The very first thing any aspiring Mexican cook needs to master is fresh salsa. Salsa is the basis of so many Mexican dishes, that you need to perfect this recipe before moving on to anything else. As in all Mexican cooking, the key is the ingredients must be absolutely fresh. You'll notice there are no Amazon modules for a can opener in this lens, because you are not going to need one. We're going to take a little trip down the produce aisle at your local grocery store or farmer's market instead. Here are our ingredients:

• Tomatoes


• Salt


• White Onion


• Jalapeno Peppers


• Cilantro


• Limes

We'll cover each of these ingredients separately, along with some tips on how to select and prepare them.

Photo courtesy of Smitten at Flickr

Let's face it, The tomato is the star of any salsa. The rest of the ingredients are just bit players (sorry, Mr. Onion). Not only is the tomato the dominant ingredient, but it is the hardest one to purchase year round and have it be fresh, and of course the most expensive too. The best salsa I have ever made was using local tomatoes straight from my garden (okay, the gardens of my relatives) at the peak of ripeness in the summertime. It's short growing season here in Minnesota, so we can't do that year round. However, there are a couple of decent options the rest of the year for us,and if you live farther south or grow tomatoes in your own greenhouse, then consider yourself lucky.

When buying tomatoes as the store, I usually will buy the plum/roma tomatoes. These are preferred by most cooks for classic salsa because they have very few seeds and are nice and firm. My second choice for store-bought tomatoes are the "on the vine" kind. Believe it or not, by leaving the tomato attached to the vine, the vine will continue to deliver nutrients to the tomato. So resist the urge to pull the vine off until you are ready to use the tomato. Any truly ripe variety will do, as long as they are fresh!

I usually throw a dash of salt on the tomatoes once they are diced, to let it meld together while I dice the rest of the ingredients.

Photo courtesy of RijkV at Flickr

Onions add a little bite to the salsa, and contrast beautifully with the ripe red tomatoes. Please resist the temptation to use yellow onions. They are not the same and will tend to overpower the salsa. You can use red onions in a pinch, or sweet onions (e.g., Vidalia). You can also rinse your onions in cold water before adding to the salsa if you're not big on raw onion flavor.

Onion photo courtesy of Holly.Liu at Flickr

Not all Mexican food is spicy, and your salsa fresca does not have to be either, although it certainly can be if you like it that way. When picking out peppers, they should be shiny and extremely firm. Signs of old peppers including mushiness, pitting skin, and rotting, particularly around the stem base. Also pay close attention to which bin you are picking from in the produce aisle, as there are several other varieties of small green peppers that are quite a bit hotter than jalapenos and may provide you with an unexpected pleasure should you pick the wrong one. Jalapenos can actually ripen from green to red over time, but for salsa should be bright green.

Dicing the jalapenos is pretty straightforward. Anytime you make salsa, you have to take the heat of the ingredients into account. For lightweights, there are several way to make the salsa more mild, while stay maintaining the essentials. First off, the heat in peppers is in the veins and the seeds. So if you are afraid it will be too hot, leave those parts out first. Throw in extra jalapenos, or start adding/substituting other, hotter varieties of peppers.

Mis-handling of hot peppers can actual give your skin a chemical burn if you are not careful. For hotter peppers or extremely sensitive individuals, you can wear gloves while handling the peppers. I personally find that washing my hands directly after handling the jalapenos is all that is necessary.

Photo courtesy of Ian-S' at Flickr

If you've ever eaten fresh salsa and wondered what those green leaves were that give it a little zing, well, that's cilantro. Cilantro is also known as Chinese parsley, and do not confuse it with Italian or flat leaf parsley, which is a completely different plan and tastes nothing like cilantro. Take a look at the picture here to make sure you can tell the difference.

When using cilantro, always make sure to rinse it thoroughly first. I like to use the leaves and the thinner parts of the stem/stalk. Towards the base of the plan the stalk gets a little thicker and can be too strong. A good rule of thumb is to not use any of the stem below the bottom set of leaves. You should also make sure the cilantro is completely dry before chopping, otherwise you can end up with a green pile of mush. Use a very sharp knife and try to dice and not tear the leaves while chopping.

Photo courtesy of Jeannette E Spaghetti at Flickr

Fresh lime juice is the perfect way to finish off your salsa. Just a few drops is all you need to round out the dish. Like everything else, you can always add more later to your liking. You can heat the limes in the microwave for about 30 seconds first, which will make them easier to juice. You might be thinking, "I have some lime juice right in the fridge. It's all "real-lime" and it's in a convenient bottle. Or you might have one of those plastic green bottles that are shaped like a lime. If you have one of those, let me assure you, you do not have fresh-lime juice. You've got lime juice that was undoubtedly squeezed at some point it it's life, but it sure is not fresh now. You've come this far already, what's one more little step to make the real thing?

Photo courtesy of Tafari at Flickr

If you are still reading after that exhaustive description on how to make salsa fresca, your dedication is about to be rewarded! You see, making perfect guacamole requires only two ingredients:

• Ripe Avocados


• Salsa Fresca

That's right, all we're going to do to make guacamole is mash some ripe avocadoes, and then mix in some of the salsa fresca. Good thing you made a lot of salsa, right?

When picking avocados, the main trick is figuring out how long between when you are buying them and when you are going to use them. Just like bananas, they can go from unripe to too mushy in a matter of days. The harder the avocado is, the longer it will take to soften. Wait too long, and they'll be brown and ugly inside, which is a very unpleasant surprise. I like to buy mine with a little give in them at the store. I also will some at various stages of ripeness. That way, I can use the ripe ones for the party, and the ones that are not ready yet, well I can use those later! The avocados are ready when they are soft with just a little give to them.

Mashing avocado is very easy. Just slice them in half, and squeeze them into a bowl. You can fish the pit out, or pry it out of the cut half before the big squeeze. I normally just mash the avocado pulp with a fork, then mix in some salsa until it tastes good!

You may notice that your guacamole will turn brown over time. This is caused by oxidation when exposed to the air. You should always way to make it until just before you are ready to serve. You can try and keep any leftovers from turning brown by covering the surface with plastic wrap, but ideally it should be eaten the same day anyway.

Photo courtesy of Aapplemint at Flickr