Salsa 101

Introduction to Salsa and Peppers 101

2005-03-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

Salsa's main ingredient, after tomatoes, is peppers. Peppers come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of heat. Getting to know more about peppers makes for better salsa creation and enjoyment. We have put the basics of salsas and peppers here to get you started.

Salsa can be as simple as some store-bought Old El Paso or Pace in a little bowl with a big basket of tortilla chips. Or, for salsa lovers, it can be an experience to be shared with far more than the run-of-the-mill bagged chip. Over eggs, potatoes, or pasta, salsa graduates quickly from a dip to an integral part of almost any meal.

Peppers, on the other hand, don't make great dips, but can certainly become the focus of almost any salsa or dip. Peppers can be mild--like bell peppers, or incredibly hot--like habañeros. If you are interested in taste, use a milder pepper. If you want heat, move up the scale (see our Scoville Scale). However you like your peppers, try adding some fresh peppers to your next bottle of store-bought salsa to kick it up, add colour and texture, and just get more flavour out of your next salsa dish.

Adding to Store-Bought Salsas

2005-03-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

We've all purchased jarred salsa or picante sauce at our local supermarket. Sometimes, they're fine for chip dips or over light Mexican meals, but, sometimes, it pays to kick it up a little. Here are some great ideas for adding more life to your next jar of store-bought salsa:

Add 1/2 cup diced white or yellow onion
Add 1/2 cup fresh diced tomatoes
Add 1-3 diced or sliced jalapeños
Add 1 fined diced habañero (lots of hot)
Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
Add 1/2 cup diced bell pepper (use more than one colour!)
Add 1/2 cup black beans (washed, rinsed, drained)
Add 1/2 cup fresh yellow corn
Add a teaspoon of Tabasco

To send salsa to a coffee table or food bar for dip, and not have it look like you just poured it into the dish, try one (or more) of these toppers:

Add a dollop of sour cream sprinkled with cayenne (for colour)
Add a dollop of guacamole
Sprinkle on some monterey jack cheese
Sprinkle on some pepper jack cheese
Sprinkle on some cheddar cheese
Sprinkle on some crushed tortilla chips and cheddar cheese

For a real treat, try our layered salsa dip!

The Many Faces of Salsa

2005-03-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

Salsa is a chip dip according to most people. The only time they see or use salsa is with a tortilla chip of some kind. Well... salsa is for a lot more than just dipping. The next time you have a jar of salsa (or some homemade salsa) kicking around, try one of these:

Add 1/2 cup salsa to 4 cups of white rice
Add 1 cup salsa to a batch of spaghetti instead of spaghetti sauce
Add 1/2 cup salsa to your spaghetti sauce
Spoon over a baked potato, top with sour cream, and add a few shreds of cheddar cheese
Spoon over an omelet, add a few tomato slices, and a ring of green bell pepper
Spoon over scrambled eggs, add a fresh onion slice and a slice of thick-cut tomato
Blend with refried beans (easier when they're hot)
Serve as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers
Serve as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken strips
Blend with sour cream as a fresh, cooling treat for chips

Experiment with salsas. Not all salsas are created equal. Some are hot, some are just tasty, some are flat. If you come across a salsa that is too hot, blend in some sour cream to cool it. If the salsa is just flat, add some diced jalapeños (sold in cans in the ethnic section).

Got a great idea for salsa use? Let us know!

Layered Salsa Dip

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Layered dips are elegant, brightly coloured, and combine textures and tastes to make even the most discerning dip-lover happy. Try our version of Layered Salsa Dip for your next party!

Ingredients:

2 cups tomato-based salsa (Picante or Salsa is good, homemade is better)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup guacamole (try using the hot variety for extra kick!)
1 cup refried beans (Old El Paso works great!)
1 cup black beans (washed, rinsed, drained)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup diced onion
1 giant bag of corn chips (like Tostitos Scoops)

In a large glass bowl or a 13x9 glass baking dish:

Spread out refried beans to form the bottom layer.
Top with 1/2 of the salsa.
Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese.
Sprinkle with onion.
Carefully spread guacamole over onions.
Sprinkle with black beans.
Top with remaining salsa.
Top with sour cream.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
For extra flavour and colour, try sprinkling the top with cayenne or crushed red pepper!

Serve with chips. Store remaining dip tightly covered in refrigerator for up to three days.

Picking Peppers

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Peppers come in so many varieties, but there are some simple rules that apply to most peppers when you're shopping for fresh, ripe peppers.

Colours to watch for:

Bell peppers are green when mature, red when ripe.
Jalapeños are green when mature, red when ripe.
Habañeros can be orange, yellow, red, or multi-coloured depending upon ripeness.
Most other peppers vary from yellow to green to red. Streaks of red on a green pepper typically indicate ripeness beyond maturity.
In bell peppers, red is sweeter than green.
In most hot peppers, red is hotter than green, but not always.

Selecting a pepper:

Choose peppers that are firm and heavy for their size.
Heavier peppers have more flesh and less hollow space so allow more flesh for cooking or food prep than lighter peppers.
Soft spots indicate over ripening. Avoid buying peppers with soft spots.
Gouges and black spots should be avoided.
Wrinkles indicate that the skin is shriveling due to age. Avoid wrinkled peppers.
Be sure the stem is fresh and secure. Wiggle it lightly. If it gives easily or breaks away, chances are the pepper is past its prime.
Be sure to wash your hands after handling peppers!

Best time of the year:

For bell peppers, you can get them all year, but they are more plentiful during the summer.
For hot peppers, since most are imported, they are available plentifully year-round.

Fire Roasting Peppers

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We've all had fire-roasted peppers in good Mexican restaurants, but they're easy to do at home, too! So, fire up the grill, and let's fire roast some peppers!

Wash and thoroughly dry the peppers.
Leaving the peppers WHOLE, cut a small slit near the stem of each pepper.
Using a skewer, long-handled cooking fork, or grilling basket, hold each pepper over the flame.
Cook for about 6-10 minutes or until the pepper is charred.
Put charred peppers in a bowl and cover tightly.
Let the peppers sweat for about 15 minutes.
Scrape off the skins using a sharp knife under running water.
Cut off the stem, scoop out the seeds and ribs, and scrape out any loose seeds.
Discard stems, seeds, and ribs.
Keep roasted peppers tightly covered in refrigerator until ready to use.

Grilling or Broiling Peppers

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Grilled or broiled peppers have a wonderful smoky flavour. They are easy to make and go great with almost any meat or vegetable dish, so here's how you do it:

Cut peppers into quarters for bell peppers, or halves for smaller peppers.
Discard stems, seeds, and ribs.
Lay pepper pieces on the grill, skin-side down. For a broiler, put the skin-side up.
Keep peppers about 4 inches from heat source.
Cook for 6-10 minutes or until skin is blackened.

To remove the skins (and this is the easiest way to do it):

After broiling or grilling, place peppers in a bowl and cover it tightly.
Let the peppers "sweat" for about 15 minutes.
Remove the skins using a knife under running water. The skins should almost slip off!

Blanching Peppers

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Blanching peppers, like sweet bell peppers, softens them slightly, lightens the colour just a little, and helps release the flavour.

To blanch peppers, simply blanch pepper strips or halves in boiling water for five minutes.

To blanch diced peppers, reduce boiling time to two minutes.

After blanching, drain water, and store peppers in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them.

Ultimate Homemade Salsa

2005-03-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Now, keeping in mind that everyone is different, adjust this recipe to suit your like (or dislike) for heat. This one is mild, but very tasty. Of course, if you want to post 300 recipes by Fred for salsa, feel free. After all, maybe his are better! But, here's mine:

Ingredients:

1 green jalapeño
1 red jalapeño
1 habañero
1 small green bell pepper
1 small yellow bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion
1 14-oz can of diced tomatoes (any kind is fine, but I like DelMonte's)
1/2 cup black beans, washed and rinsed

Prep:

Remove the caps and seeds from the peppers.
Dice all of the peppers into 1/4-inch or smaller pieces (smaller for the habañero!).
Dice the onion.
Pour the tomatoes and beans into a glass bowl.
Mix.
Add the peppers and onions.
Mix.
Heat in the microwave for 1 minutes on high heat.
Remove.
Cover and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour to chill.
Keep tightly covered to save in fridge for longer periods.

Serving:

Serve with chips (Tostitos Scoops are great!).
Serve over any Mexican dinner (chimichanga, tostada, tacos, etc.).
Serve blended with sour cream and a great party dip.
Serve over pork chops or grilled chicken breasts for an instant Mexican meal.
Serve on baked potoatoes.

Of course, if you like more heat, use more peppers or hotter peppers (see the Scoville Scale). If you like less heat, skip the habañero. If you find that this one is too hot after making it, simply blend in some sour cream to cool it down.

However you like your salsa, try experimenting. Try adding fresh diced onions to store-bought salsa. Or add a habañero to some store-bought salsa for the dinner guest who always insists that it was "tasty" but must have been made for the baby.

Pepper Prep 101

2005-03-28T10:06:00.000-07:00

Preparing peppers, regardless of their heat index, requires a little more care than simply chopping and hacking them to bits to toss into salsas and spicy dishes. To avoid burns on your skin, in your eyes, and in your mouth, try these tips:

Wash peppers thoroughly in warm water and scrub lightly with a scrubber sponge or soft brush to remove dirt and pesticides.
Dry the peppers to make them easier to hold while cutting.
Wear gloves when cutting peppers! No fooling. Once the oils from those peppers get into your skin, you'll feel the burn for hours or even days! See our Pepper Burn Cure section in case you forget to wear gloves.
Using a cutting board and sharp knife, remove the cap/stem end. Discard it.
Using either your fingers or the back side of the knife blade, carefully dig inside the pepper to remove the seeds. Tapping the pepper lightly on the edge of the cutting board or sink will usually dislodge any loose seeds. Discard the seeds.
Cut the pepper in half length-wise.
Now, depending upon the recipe, either slice, julienne, or dice the pepper.
Take care not to chop the pepper as chopping sends sprays of pepper oil into the air and once it's in your eyes, you're going to be dancing for days!
If you're going to keep the peppers to use later, put them in a tightly sealed container or ZipLoc baggie and refrigerate. Most peppers will keep for a week or more after being cut.
Be sure to wash everything, including your hands after removing your gloves. Use hot, soapy water, wash and rinse thoroughly, and, in the case of your hands, continue washing until you cannot smell the pepper on your skin any longer. If you can smell it, it's still there.
You can freeze most peppers after slicing or dicing. Be sure they are in an air-tight container. Be sure the peppers are patted dry with paper toweling before putting them into the container. Use within three months.
It is best to use peppers right away for the best flavour, colour, and texture.

Pepper Burn Cures

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Peppers, with the exception of bell peppers and pimentos, can give you burns on your skin, in your eyes, and in your mouth. Here's some tips on how to stop the burn and recover more rapidly than splashing cold water on the area (which, by the way, does absolutely nothing but will spread the burn around to a bigger area so you can enjoy it more!).

Skin. So, you forgot to wear gloves when prepping those peppers. Well, to stop the burn, immerse the affected area in vegetable oil. Hold it there for at least 30 minutes. For serious skin involvement, you can sit there for an hour or two before the burn subsides. Next time, wear gloves!
Eyes. Flush with cold milk. Put a washcloth wet with milk over the eyes until the burn subsides. If the eyes become swollen or the burn does not subside in 30 minutes, seek medical attention. Be sure to know what kind of pepper you were using so you can tell the doctor (no kidding!).
Mouth or Throat. Dairy is one of the fastest cures for pepper burns in the mouth and throat. If things get a little to hot, simply eat some ice cream, drink some milk, or eat a large spoonful of sour cream. If you find a dish is too hot in a restaurant, simply ask for a side dish of sour cream. When eating the dish, just dip the end of the spoon in the sour cream after loading it with the too-hot food.

Note that alcohol does dilute the oils in peppers. However, a cold beer doesn't typically contain enough alcohol to have much effect. Dairy works better.

What Makes Peppers Hot

2005-03-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

Alright, without going totally chemist, here's why hot peppers are hot...

Hot peppers belong to the genus capsicum. Peppers contain capsaicinoids that produce a burning sensation in the mouth. These capsaicinoids tell the pain receptors in the mouth and throat that they are being burned.
At high levels, capsaicinoids cause the eyes to water, nose to run, induce perspiration, and, in some cases, can actually cause blisters in the mouth and throat!
The main capsaicinoid is capsaicin. It is so hot that a single drop diluted in 100,000 drops of water will produce a blister on the tongue! Capsaicin is 70 times hotter than black pepper (piperine) and 1,000 times stronger than ginger (zingerone).

For more about how hot your pepper is, try our Scoville Scale!

Scoville Heat Scale

2005-03-28T09:24:00.000-07:00

In 1912, Wilbur Scoville, a chemist working for the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Company, developed a method to measure the heat in peppers. The Scoville Organoleptic Test, named for Wilbur, is a subjective dilution taste test. A what?
Scoville's test required that blended, pure, ground chilis be diluted with a sugar-water solution. A panel of "tasters" then tried each pepper-water solution and, when they got to a "no heat" solution, that measurement yielded the Scoville Rating. A number was then assigned to each chili pepper based on how much it needed to be diluted before the tasters could not longer feel the heat.
The heat factor for chili peppers is measured in multiples of 100. Bell peppers are at the zero end of the scale, while habañero peppers rate a mouth-scorching 300,000!
Capsaicin, the chemical compound in peppers that actually creates the "heat" is so hot that pure capsaicin rates between 15,000,000 and 16,000,000 on the Scoville Scale! (Where's my fire extinguisher?!)
Liquid chromatography is now employed to accurately access the heat in peppers, but the Scoville Heat Scale is still used to "rank" peppers. The unit of measure for the heat in a pepper is still referred to as a Scoville Unit.
Thanks, Wilbur!

Scoville Scale - Heat Ratings

2005-03-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

As we explained before, Scoville's heat scale is the accepted method for rating a pepper's heat index. Keep in mind that the heat you feel when eating a pepper is no different to the mouth than any other burn, so you have to actually build up a tolerance to the heat of peppers in order to enjoy them at the hotter end of the scale.

For all of you need-to-know types, here's how the peppers rank (hot to mild):

Pure Capsaicin . . . . . . 15,000,000-16,000,000
Red Savina Habañero. . . . 350,000-577,000
Scotch Bonnet. . . . . . . 150,000-325,000
Habañero . . . . . . . . . 100,000-325,000
Bird's Eye . . . . . . . . 100,000-225,000
Jamaican Hot . . . . . . . 100,000-200,000
Kumataka . . . . . . . . . 125,000-150,000
Carolina Cayenne . . . . . 100,000-125,000
Bahamian . . . . . . . . . 95,000-110,000
Tabiche. . . . . . . . . . 85,000-115,000
Thai . . . . . . . . . . . 50,000-100,000
Chiltecpin . . . . . . . . 60,000-85,000
Haimen . . . . . . . . . . 70,000-80,000
Yatsafusa. . . . . . . . . 50,000-75,000
Piquin . . . . . . . . . . 40,000-58,000
Super Chili. . . . . . . . 40,000-50,000
Santaka. . . . . . . . . . 40,000-50,000
Cayenne. . . . . . . . . . 30,000-50,000
Tabasco. . . . . . . . . . 30,000-50,000
Aji. . . . . . . . . . . . 30,000-50,000
Jaloro . . . . . . . . . . 30,000-50,000
DeArbol. . . . . . . . . . 15,000-30,000
Shipkas. . . . . . . . . . 12,000-30,000
Manzano. . . . . . . . . . 12,000-30,000
Serrano. . . . . . . . . . 8,000-22,000
Hidalgo. . . . . . . . . . 6,000-17,000
Puya . . . . . . . . . . . 5,000-10,000
Hot Wax. . . . . . . . . . 5,000-10,000
Chipotle . . . . . . . . . 5,000-8,000
Jalapeño . . . . . . . . . 2,500-8,000
Guajillo . . . . . . . . . 2,500-5,000
Mirasol. . . . . . . . . . 2,500-5,000
Pulla. . . . . . . . . . . 700-3,000
Rocotillo. . . . . . . . . 1,500-2,500
Sandia . . . . . . . . . . 500-2,500
Anaheim. . . . . . . . . . 500-2,500
Pasilla. . . . . . . . . . 1,000-2,000
Mulato . . . . . . . . . . 1,000-2,000
Ancho. . . . . . . . . . . 1,000-2,000
Poblano. . . . . . . . . . 1,000-2,000
Española . . . . . . . . . 1,000-2,000
Coronado . . . . . . . . . 700-1,000
Santa Fe Grande. . . . . . 500-750
El Paso. . . . . . . . . . 500-700
Pepperoncini . . . . . . . 100-500
Cherry . . . . . . . . . . 0-500
Pimento. . . . . . . . . . 0
Bell (sweet bell). . . . . 0

When using peppers in cooking, remember that oils and fats help release the heat in the peppers making the dish hotter. For most, excepting the pepper-immune among us, a little goes a long way.

Be sure to read our Pepper Prep section to learn how to avoid burns on skin, eyes, and mouths when preparing peppers.