It’s National Tortilla Chip Day! Who knew there was such a thing? Well there is, and what better way to enjoy the crunchy tortilla chip than with a bowl of homemade salsa?
Crunchy tortilla “chips” originated in Mexico in the form of tostados. But the famous triangle-shaped tortilla chip is credited to, or at least was popularized by, Rebecca Webb Carranza several decades ago in Los Angeles. She and her husband owned a tortilla factory and their automated machines would discard any misshapen tortilla shells. Rather than throw them away, Rebecca discovered that cutting these corn tortilla shells into triangles an then frying them made a fantastic snack. Tortilla chips began to be mass produced in the 1940’s and their popularity spread outside of California and across the U.S. in the 1970’s. Years later she received the Golden Tortilla Award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.
Here is a tasty homemade salsa to accompany your crispy tortilla chips. Many salsa recipes call for canned tomatoes and chilies (i.e., already cooked). I find that using fresh ingredients, and then cooking the salsa briefly, yields the best flavor. It sweetens the tomatoes and brings out their flavor. (Note, canned tomatoes have also been semi-cooked) The other purpose cooking it serves is to bring the mixture up to the required temperature for canning.
This recipe is ideal for canning so you can always have some salsa on hand for dipping and for any Mexican recipes calling for salsa.
Let’s get started!
There always a debate as to which kinds of tomatoes are the best for making salsa. The answer is simply this: The best tomatoes are ripe tomatoes. Whichever ones you can find that have the most flavor. If they happen to have a higher water content, that’s fine. We’ll drain them.
The best way to peel tomatoes is to get a large pot of water boiling and then place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds. (Some suggest placing them in ice water next, but that isn’t necessary for this recipe) When you remove the tomatoes from the boiling water their skins will start to split (you may need to assist them by piercing them with the tip of a knife) and they can then be easily peeled.
Squeeze the seeds out of each tomato and place the tomatoes in a colander to drain.
Finely chop the tomatoes. I prefer to do it by hand, but you can also use a food processor.
Place the chopped tomatoes in a large stock pot.
Chop the onions and mince the garlic.
Chop the jalapeno peppers. If you like your salsa hot, leave the white pith/membranes. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the seeds that are hot, it’s the white pith that surrounds them. It’s always recommended that you use gloves while handling chili peppers.
Wash and chop the cilantro.
You’ll want about a cup of chopped jalapenos.
Add the vinegar to the tomatoes.
Add all remaining ingredients.
Stir to combine the ingredients, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
Follow standard canning instructions to sterilize the jars and lids. Ladle the hot salsa into the hot jars, leaving about 1/4 inch head space. Close the lids and place the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove the jars and let them rest, undisturbed, for 24 hours before moving them.
- 8 pounds ripe tomatoes (about 13 cups chopped)
- 5 large jalapeno peppers, seeds removed, chopped (leave white pith/membranes if you like your salsa hot)
- 3 cups chopped yellow onions
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Carefully drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 30 seconds them remove. Peel the skins and squeeze the seeds to remove them along with excess water. Place the tomatoes in a colander to drain. Chop the tomatoes.
- Place the tomatoes in a large stock pot along with the vinegar. Add all remaining ingredients. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- While the salsa is simmering, follow standard canning procedure to sterilize the jars and lids.
- Use a ladle to fill the hot jars with the hot salsa, leaving ¼ inch head space. Close the lids and place the jars in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Make sure the jars are fully submerged under water with several inches of water above them. Remove the jars and let them rest undisturbed for 24 hours before moving them.
- Store in a cool, dark place. For optimal flavor, use within 6 months but the salsa will keep up to a year.
Ooh, this looks sooo delicious! The idea of canning has always kinda freaked me out b/c I’m super paranoid of giving my fam botulism or something 😛 But! This looks super easy so you may have twisted my arm and now I’ll give it a try. 🙂
Haha! I can totally relate to that. This last Summer I canned up a STORM. It was my first time canning and even though I was excited about all of the jars full of different goodies, I was kind of nervous about actually eating and of it! So, in a streak of paranoia, I had my husband consult a colleague of his who is a pathologist. I figured since he is an expert on germs he ought to know about the safety of eating canned goods. The pathologist said that as long as the lid hasn’t popped it’s completely safe and he wouldn’t hesitate to eat it or feed it to his own kids. That made me feel a whole lot better 🙂 We’ve been enjoying all the jams, relishes, pickles, apple sauce, and salsas since and…we’re still breathing! Go for it, Tori!
Thank you for sharing that! It seriously makes me feel so much better about attempting to can my own foods. . .botulism has been the only thing holding me back! 🙂 Thanks Kimberly!
You did forget one important detail however in the sanitizing.. YOU HAVE TO SANITIZE THE LIDS, and do not touch the rubber part of the lid as your oils in your skin will cause it to be unusable. I have canned for years, as does my mother in law.. I would not hesitate to can ANYTHING, meat or veggie.. 🙂 Just remember to sanitize the jars and lids!!
Hi Jeri Lou! I mentioned that step in the pictured instructions but left it out in the recipe box – it’s now added 🙂 There has been a lot of discussion about canning and bacteria in some of my other canning posts. The fact of the matter is, bacteria cannot survive or form in an airtight space. Still, it never hurts to take extra precautions.
great recipe, have made 2 batches. thanks!
Wonderful, thanks so much for your feedback, Trina!
This salsa is amazing. Have canned about 16 jars of it with garden tomatoes onions jalapeño and I added 1 red and 1 yellow pepper. Good use of my garden this year.
That’s fantastic, Sean, I’m so glad you like it! We’re big fans of it, too, and it’s so gratifying making your own and seeing all those jars stacked in your pantry. Now, if only our garden had been as successful this year…crossing our fingers for next year!
I know you need an acid in the ingredients for canning, but I really hate vinegar. Can I substitute lime juice instead and would it be the same amount?
Using fresh lime or lemon juice for canning is generally discouraged but you can use the bottled kind, yes.
Did you try it with the lime juice? I’m with you, I don’t like vinegary salsa.
I tried to make this, this weekend. It came out to sweet and no heat. Any advice on what I did wrong or how to fix this?
Hi Jenn, with only a tablespoon of sugar in the entire batch I have no idea why it would have been too sweet. It may just seem sweet because it wasn’t hot and perhaps hot salsas are what you’re used to? The heat factor is related to the jalapenos – did you see the recipe note about the membranes? That’s where they heat lies so if you want a hot salsa leave the membranes intact. Be sure also to use the freshest jalapenos you can find, otherwise they tend to lose some of their heat.
fantastic, I have made this a couple of times, not such large quantities but tastes incredible
thank you
Wonderful, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thanks Jill!
How many pints do u get out of the recipe?
Hi Travis, it makes roughly 5-6 pints of salsa.
How long does 5-6 pints stay good in the fridge
Hi Gina, if you’re not canning it in the water bath for long-term storage and just keeping the fresh salsa in the fridge, it should be used within 5-7 days.
Hello, I seem to have missed something. After I add the tomatoes to the pot and pour in the vinegar. There isn’t anything to boil. It’s seems like it’s gonna burn. Please help.
Everything is as is should be, Rodrigo. The tomatoes have a ton of water in them that will come out once it starts simmering.
I am terrified of botulism thanks to my Mil. So I bought a ph tester for food. I made the salsa and tested it, it was 4.0 so well under the 4.6 limit for water bath. 😊
Thanks for confirming that!
Please correct this recipe before someone gets sick. The vinegar recipe part is way to low. It should be 1 cup not 1/2 cup. 4.0 is way too low it should be 4.6. I would do it before you end up getting in to trouble… serous
C Call, I think you’re a little confused on pH levels. From canning 101: “The way food scientists determine whether something is high or low in acid is by pH. If something has a pH of 4.6 or below, it is deemed high in acid and is safe for water bath canning. If the pH is 4.7 or above, it is considered low in acid.” This salsa registers at 4.0 – which is below 4.6 – so it has an even higher acidity level than is necessary to be safe. In other words, this salsa is well within the limits for safe canning.