You can make salsa fresca two ways – coarsely chop all ingredients and then briefly pulse in a food processor, or finely chop by hand. By far, my preferred method is to hand chop. It takes a bit longer but the results are superior. Pulsing in a food processor, no matter how brief, results in an unappealing, mushy texture. Salsa fresca is best served at room temperature, so make sure to take it out of the fridge an hour or so before serving. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
Traditional Salsa Fresca
Make sure to use Mexican oregano, and not Mediterranean oregano when making salsa. Mexican oregano comes from an entirely different plant family. Regular oregano has a sweet taste according to Epicurious, while Mexican oregano’s taste is a bit more citrusy, with subtle hints of lime that really enhance the flavor of chiles. It’s frequently called for in chili powders, chili con carne, moles and rojos.
Salsa Mexicana
Here is another fresh tomato salsa recipe that I like quite a bit, adapted with a few modifications from Mexican Flavors: Contemporary Recipes from Camp San Miguel. This recipe is different in that it emphasizes using vine-ripened tomatoes (now is a great time for those) and substitutes white onion for green onions and fresh garlic. I do like to add white onion though, I think it enhances the flavor and adds a little bit of sweetness to salsa. The original recipe also did not include lime juice, which is a big shortcoming in my view. It may have been done by mistake. The author is very adamant about hand chopping the ingredients to avoid mushy texture.
