Fresh homemade salsa made with charred tomatoes! Making this tasty salsa is easy and packed full of flavor.
The tomatoes, onions and jalapeños are given a quick cook on a hot pan to give a bit of a smoky cooked flavor to the salsa. Whip up a batch of this salsa in just 20 minutes!
Why make this salsa
Fresh homemade salsa is the best no matter what time of year. This salsa is filled with fresh ingredients that seem to magically come together to make a tasty dip.
This salsa can be made anytime of the year, even in the middle of the winter! Lightly charring the tomatoes and onions brings out a delicious flavor, even when it's not tomato season.
Charring the tomatoes adds a delicious, slightly smoky flavor to the salsa.
Key ingredients
- Tomatoes - I use roma tomatoes because they are the meatiest and aren't watery
- Onions - A yellow or white onion works best
- Jalapenos - Add as many or as few as you'd like
- Limes - Fresh squeezed juice is an absolute must
- Cilantro - A large bunch of fresh cilantro
- Green onions - These are optional, but they add great freshness and crunch
Step by step directions
- Place whole tomatoes, slice onion and jalapenos on a hot, ungreased cast iron pan. Allow everything to char slightly.
- Roughly chop tomatoes and place tomatoes, onion and jalapenos in a food processor. Pulse till chunky, but smooth.
- Add cilantro and salt. Pulse until just mixed in.
- Place mixed salsa in a bowl. Stir in freshly squeezed lime juice and chopped green onions.
Tips for making great salsa
- Buy fresh, unblemished vegetables
- Char on a hot, ungreased skillet. Don't let the vegetables burn, but just get a light black, or char on each side.
- Use a food processor to help blend all the ingredients. Just pulse until it is the desired consistency. If you go too long, you'll end up with a tomato sauce.
- Taste before serving and add extra salt and lime juice to taste
- Store salsa covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
How spicy is this salsa?
The spiciness in any salsa is all up to you. I use jalapeños in this salsa. You could also use anaheim peppers which are a bit milder.
When using any chili pepper, I remove the seeds and the inner membrane of the peppers. These two areas contain most of the heat.
To adjust the spiciness of the salsa you can also add just a small amount of the jalapeno, instead of a whole pepper.
Recipe Faqs
I love cilantro, but many people do not. They claim it has a soapy taste. If you don't like cilantro, don't use it in this salsa. Instead add extra green onions after you've pureed the salsa. Use the green parts of the green onions in addition to the white parts.
I like to eat homemade salsa within 3-5 days of making the salsa. Any longer and the salsa becomes too watery and soft.
Serving suggestions
Serve this homemade charred salsa with
More salsa recipes
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Homemade Salsa with charred tomatoes
Ingredients
- 5 whole Roma Tomatoes
- 1 - 2 whole Jalapeño Peppers
- ½ Onion - Yellow or White
- ¼ cup Cilantro (Chopped)
- ½ Lime (Juiced)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 5 Green Scallions (Chopped)
Instructions
- Place tomatoes, jalapeños, and ½ onion on hot cast iron pan. Turn ingredients so you achieve a nice char on all sides.
- When jalapeño is nicely blackened, place on a cutting board and cut off top and remove seeds.
- Place charred items in the food processor. Puree everything until no large pieces remain.
- Add cilantro. Pulse just until mixed.
- Transfer to mixing bowl.
- Stir in salt, juice of lime, and chopped green scallions.
- Taste and add additional salt if needed.
Video
Notes
- Buy fresh, unblemished vegetables
- Char on a hot, ungreased skillet. Don't let the vegetables burn, but just get a light black, or char on each side.
- Use a food processor to help blend all the ingredients. Just pulse until it is the desired consistency. If you go too long, you'll end up with a tomato sauce.
- Taste before serving and add extra salt and lime juice to taste
- Store salsa covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in February 2015. The pictures and recipe have been updated.
Valentina says
I absolutely love that smoky flavor from charring the tomatoes. This screams summer. I need a bag of chips and this ASAP! 🙂 ~Valentina
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Nothing better than homemade salsa with summer tomatoes Kathy! This looks fabulous!
David @ Spiced says
What a fun idea! I've made grilled guacamole before, but I've never done a grilled/charred salsa. It's amazing how much flavor that added to the guac, so I totally want to try out your salsa now. This looks delicious! Now I just need to make sure I have enough tortilla chips. 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
This looks absolutely scrumptious, Kathy! Love salsa, especially if it's homemade. Bet the charred tomatoes really adds something special. Now, please pass the chips 😉
Veronika Sykorova says
This looks awesome! I can't wait for summer when tomatoes will be in season to make this for our summer grilled dinners outside!
Kathy says
This salsa is wonderful on grilled foods! I hope you give it a try!
Christine says
Love the idea of charring the vegetables before adding them to the salsa - Totally going to try it out!
Sue Ringsdorf says
I love salsa and never considering charring the veggies first. Must try it!! Thanks for sharing!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
I'll take some salsa any way I can get it. This charred version you've got going on here sounds fantastic!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
This looks so great! I love roasting or charring veggies for salsa, it really brings out the flavors 🙂
Kathy says
Thanks Medha!
Deb|EastofEdenCooking says
I craved the bright flavors of summer and will admit to recently buying out-of-season, hot house grown tomatoes. They really are not the same as summer tomatoes, but still. The wonderful salsa recipe would be a wonderful way to enjoy their flavor!
Kathy says
I agree...out-of-season tomatoes just don't stack up to fresh, vine-ripened!