According to Wikipedia, the term salsa can refer to just about any kind of sauce. But when I am talking about salsa here, I am talking about a relish that is some combination of  spicy, sweet and savory–flavors that goes great with just about everything!

Salsas can be made in all sorts of ways, using all sorts of ingredients. When most people think about salsa, they think of  pico de gallo (Beak of a rooster? Hmmmm.) which is usually some combination of tomatoes, chiles, onions, cilantro, salt and pepper. These ingredients do make a tasty salsa, but there is no limit to the things you can use in your salsas. You can even leave out the chiles to create a nice, mellow relish (let’s not call that a hot salsa, ok?). Try replacing the tomato of a traditional salsa with another fruit (yes, tomato is a fruit!) like pineapple or mango. You can vary the fruit to compliment  the rest of your food. One of my favorites is a pineapple salsa to go with my fish dishes.

Hot Salsa: Feel the Burn!

That being said, there is just nothing quite as good as the firey burn of a good hot salsa. For me, the hotter, the better. In fact, one of my favorites is a habanero salsa, made with one of the spiciest peppers available. The one I make is pretty simple: chop up a few tomatoes, cut up a habanero pepper (or two!), add some finely chopped onion, some cilantro, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lime. Mix it all up with a fork to blend the flavors together and there you go! Fresh, spicy goodness, ready to eat.

If we can’t find the habaneros at our local grocery store, a jalapeno salsa or a salsa made with Serrano chilies will do. Actually, you can make a good hot salsa with just about any chili that has some heat. So what are you waiting for? Break out that chef’s knife, go grab some chilies and make yourself a nice hot salsa. Or a not-so-hot salsa if your tongue stand the heat!

Habanero Salsa From Hell – This is one HOT salsa! We have customers from around the world ordering the magnificent blend of habanero pepper, tomatoes, onions and fresh spices.
publisher: Southwest Specialty Foods Inc.
ASIN: B000G6TNLA
sales rank: 45955
price: $5.95 (new)

This is one HOT salsa! We have customers from around the world ordering the magnificent blend of habanero pepper, tomatoes, onions and fresh spices.