How To Make Restaurant-Style Salsa in a Blender

If you are the one who always winds up finishing the last of the salsa when you’re out with friends, then this recipe is for you. It’s not fancy or by any means gourmet, but it goes great with salty chips and cold beer. It’s time to pay your share of the salsa bill — treat your pals to some restaurant-style salsa tonight.

Ripe summer tomatoes make a fresh pico de gallo that is out of this world, but for the rest of the year, you want canned tomatoes. They are the surprising hero of a good restaurant-style salsa.

And why not? Cans of tomatoes are much more economical than fresh tomatoes, for both restaurants and home cooks, and during the long months on either side of tomato season, canned tomatoes are arguably better quality and better tasting than the specimens found in the produce section.

Even so, I was skeptical when I first made this salsa. Sure, I use canned tomatoes in sauces and soups all the time, but for something like a salsa? But canned tomatoes have an intense, almost concentrated tomato flavor that goes amazingly well with fresh jalapeños, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Plus, they break down into a saucy consistency that is really what you want in a good party dip with chips.

I like using whole canned tomatoes for making this salsa. They break down to that saucy stage more easily in the blender and I tend to like their flavor better, but diced tomatoes also work well. Avoid any tomatoes with added seasonings (read the labels carefully).

High-end canned tomatoes will certainly make a tasty salsa, but I feel that it’s not crucial. Spring for the good stuff if you’re throwing a party and have the extra dollars to spend; otherwise, whatever you have in your cupboard will be perfectly fine.

Love a chunky salsa? Prefer it puréed to oblivion? No problem. You can make a chunky salsa by pulsing the blender a few times, or leave it running until the salsa is as smooth as you like it. For a thicker texture, you can also drain the tomatoes before blending.

This salsa is best if you can let it chill for at least 30 minutes before serving, and it’s even better the next day; this gives the flavors in the salsa time to mingle and mellow. The fresh-made salsa is good, but the salsa you serve a little while later will be even better.