salsa
A Mexican-style sauce of chopped or blended tomatoes, chiles, onion, and seasonings, served raw or cooked and ranging from chunky to smooth. Sold both fresh in the refrigerated case and shelf-stable in jars, with the two differing significantly in freshness, texture, and shelf life.
Buying guidance
Fresh, refrigerated salsa must stay cold even before opening and spoils much faster than jarred salsa, so check which type is called for before buying. Read the label for heat level and chunk size, since brands and styles vary widely -- what one brand calls mild can be noticeably hotter than another's.
Substitutions
- Fresh pico de gallo -- chunkier and drier than cooked salsa; thin it with a little lime juice to bring it closer in consistency.
- Chopped tomato, onion, and chile combined with lime juice and salt -- a quick homemade stand-in; heat is easy to control since it starts unseasoned.
Tips & common mistakes
Fresh salsa releases liquid as it sits, since the chopped tomatoes and onion in it keep releasing juice after cutting -- give it a stir, or spoon off some of the liquid, before using it as an ingredient in a dish where extra water would be unwelcome, like a filling or a sauce meant to stay thick.
Storage
Fresh, refrigerated salsa is not shelf-stable even before opening and should be used within about a week of its package date; shelf-stable jarred salsa can sit unopened in the pantry much longer, but behaves like fresh salsa once opened, needing refrigeration and use within roughly a week to ten days.