Salsa Fresca

Salsa Fresca is a wonderful way to use up a few extra tomatoes. Also known as Pico de Gallo, this fresh salsa can be modified easily to fit your preferences. Add fewer peppers (or more! if you are adventurous), add some corn, or add some chopped avocados. This is a great salsa to serve with tacos or burritos, or just with corn chips!

Salsa Fresca

2 medium (4 or 5 roma) ripe tomatoes

3 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded

12 large sprigs of cilantro

1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped (optional)

1 small (4-ounce) white onion

1½ teaspoons fresh lime juice

Salt, about ¾ teaspoon

Seed and dice the tomatoes and put them in a medium-sized bowl. Cut the chiles in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds if you wish. (Seeds make the salsa hotter.) Chop the chiles as finely as you can, then add them to the tomatoes.

Bunch up the cilantro sprigs, and, with a sharp knife, slice the leafy portions up. Add the chopped cilantro to the tomato mixture. Finely dice and add the optional garlic. Dice the onion, scoop it into a small strainer, then rinse it under cold water. Shake to remove the excess water and add to the tomato mixture 

Taste and season with lime juice and salt, and let stand if you have a little time, for the flavors to meld before using or scooping into a salsa dish and serving. A food processor generally mushes everything up, so knives or choppers work better. Too spicy? Add another tomato or a couple teaspoons of sugar. 

Melinda's Note: When you have a garden full of tomatoes, this is a good way to use them up. I like more tomatoes and fewer chiles. I used one chile and 8 tomatoes, and it was perfect for me!