This spicy salsa is what I like to call the Harvest Special.
If you planned it right this summer โ and started those first seeds last fall, however early that may seem โ everything that goes into this salsa can come straight from your garden right about now, from the garlic to the tomatoes.
Related: Know When to Grow: A Planting Calendar For Your Garden
But why fermented salsa? Why not normal salsa like you’ve always made?
I’ve used this same recipe for non-fermented salsa and it’s fine. Great, actually. But fermentation pushes it over the line to fantastic.
The same bacteria and yeasts that give kraut and kimchi their distinctive flavors also give this salsa a bright and tangy note. It’s lively on the tastebuds without being too sour or too salty.
But taste aside, fermentation actually makes this salsa good for you (and good for your gut) by turning it into a probiotic-laced snack food you can enjoy guiltlessly or “sneak” to picky eaters.
That’s because fermented salsa undergoes the same process of lacto-fermentation as sauerkraut. Simply by letting your salsa sit out for a few days on the counter at room temperature, you encourage all kinds of beneficial bacteria to multiply โ the ones you actually want in your food.
Make this next: Fermented Hot Chile Sauce
While many recipes for fermented salsa call for the addition of whey or starter culture, this one lets the existing bacteria (that are already present in all your fresh produce) do the work. It may take a day or two longer to ferment, but the ease of preparation is worth the small wait.
Since you want to help all that good bacteria thrive, I recommend using the best ripe, organic tomatoes if you’re not growing them yourself.
Spicy Fermented Salsa
Makes 1 quart
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2ย to 1 jalapeรฑo pepper, minced (depending on heat preference)
1/2 serrano pepper, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon pickling salt or sea salt
Juice from 1 lime
Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix the first nine ingredients together (including the seeds and juices from your tomatoes).
Pour the salsa into a quart-sized jar and run a chopstick around the jar to release any trapped air bubbles.
Add a 1/2-inch layer of olive oil on top. The olive oil serves two purposes here: one, it prevents the vegetables from rising above the water and growing mold on the surface, and two, it adds richness to the salsa once you mix it in.
Loosely seal the jar with a lid and leave it out of direct sunlight for a few days. (I spin the lid only a couple times โ enough to keep out dust and pantry pests, but loose enough to let fermentation gases escape.)
The warmer your room temperature is, the faster your salsa will ferment. Within a day or two, you’ll start to see fizzies in the juices as the lactic acid bacteria grow and flourish.
In my very warm kitchen this summer, it took four days for all the ingredients to meld and develop a bold, tangy flavor. You could leave it for up to a week for the tang to intensify; the longer you let it ferment, the longer the salsa will keep. (Not that it would ever last that long in this household!)
Once the salsa’s to your liking, refrigerate the jar to slow down the fermentation process (and keep the salsa from getting too sour).
The olive oil will congeal in the cold temperature, but is perfectly safe to eat. Just mix it in with a spoon before you use the salsa, or let the jar rest at room temp before serving.
Spicy Fermented Salsa
How do you take a salsa that's already great and push it over the edge to fantastic? With fermentation! Fermented salsa brings all the health benefits of good bacteria to the ripe and juicy summer tomatoes you already love. And, it couldn't be easier to make!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1/2 to 1 jalapeรฑo pepper, minced (depending on heat preference)
- 1/2 serrano pepper, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon pickling salt or sea salt
- Juice from 1 lime
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the first nine ingredients together (including the seeds and juices from your tomatoes).
- Pour the salsa into a quart-sized jar and run a chopstick around the jar to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Add a 1/2-inch layer of olive oil on top. The olive oil serves two purposes here: one, it prevents the vegetables from rising above the water and growing mold on the surface, and two, it adds richness to the salsa once you mix it in.
- Loosely seal the jar with a lid and leave it out of direct sunlight for a few days. (I spin the lid only a couple times — enough to keep out dust and pantry pests, but loose enough to let fermentation gases escape.)
- The warmer your room temperature is, the faster your salsa will ferment. Within a day or two, you'll start to see fizzies in the juices as the lactic acid bacteria grow and flourish. It may take up to four days for all the ingredients to meld and develop a bold, tangy flavor. You could leave it for up to a week for the tang to intensify; the longer you let it ferment, the longer the salsa will keep.
- Once the salsa's to your liking, refrigerate the jar to slow down the fermentation process (and keep the salsa from getting too sour).
Notes
Once refrigerated, the olive oil will congeal in the cold temperature, but is perfectly safe to eat. Just mix it in with a spoon before you use the salsa, or let the jar rest at room temp before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 76Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 302mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
This post updated from an article that originally appeared on September 19, 2013.
52 Comments
Andrea
March 6, 2015 at 2:35 pmDo you need to use a canning jar for this?
Linda Ly
March 6, 2015 at 11:44 pmNope, any jar will do (as you won’t be canning it). A bowl works as well if you have a lid for it.
Ian
March 6, 2015 at 12:00 pmI am so relieved to find a recipe that does not ask to use whey! Thanks so much for sharing! I will be making this recipe very soon.
Linda Ly
March 6, 2015 at 11:45 pmEnjoy! ๐
Eve
July 4, 2014 at 11:02 amI read this recipe when you first posted it, but haven’t gotten around to making it until a few days ago. Now I have a question: when around day 3, my salsa has risen and broken through the olive oil barrier, is it then necessary to push everything back down and also swirl through it around the edge of the jar to release the newly formed bubbles?
Linda Ly
July 4, 2014 at 2:19 pmYou can taste it to see if the flavor’s to your liking, and if it needs to ferment a little longer, just push all the vegetables back down and add a little more oil on top.
Beverly Blackburn Avery
October 9, 2013 at 1:23 amBeverly Blackburn Avery liked this on Facebook.
theGardenBetty
October 4, 2013 at 1:31 pmRT @GoSproutIt: Today’s (harvest) special: @theGardenBetty’s Spicy Fermented Salsa | http://t.co/Xlgb2nRIxF
GoSproutIt
October 1, 2013 at 9:45 amToday’s (harvest) special: @thegardenbetty’s Spicy Fermented Salsa | http://t.co/4zNr6i64UZ
Mona Mayer
September 25, 2013 at 5:15 amMe again, is a week the longest amount of time to let it ferment and also how long does it last in the fridge if one has fermented it a week? thanks again Betty oh and congrats on your wedding!
Linda Ly
September 25, 2013 at 3:01 pmYou can ferment it however long you like, as the flavor just becomes more intense. However, since there is not a lot of salt used in this recipe, I probably wouldn’t keep it out longer than two weeks. The salsa will continue to ferment in the fridge, but just a lot more slowly. Theoretically it should last indefinitely because it just keeps producing lactic acid bacteria (which preserves it), but optimal flavor is probably within the first few months.
Mona Mayer
September 25, 2013 at 4:52 amHi there, You have a wonderful site! I have all of the ingredients to make this and I was wondering (before I bought the sea salt) if I can use Himalyan Rock Salt instead of the pickling salt or sea salt? Also, when one uses the canning lids to close the jars how is that loosely sealed? I guess that is just not pressing down on the top and not screwing the ring on tight? thank you for your response. Also, sorry to hear about you losing your girl.
Linda Ly
September 25, 2013 at 2:56 pmYes, you can use Himalayan salt (I love that stuff too!) as long as yours is on the finer side, and not super coarse. (With super coarse salt, you’d have to increase the amount you use.)
When sealing the jars with canning lids, I just place the lid on top, and make a turn or two with the band so it stays secure but still loose.
Thank you for thinking about Gisele. ๐
Friv Jogos
September 24, 2013 at 3:42 amQuite attractive. If you can be sure that I will try.
Abby LaMarine
September 23, 2013 at 12:08 pmAbby LaMarine liked this on Facebook.
Amanda
September 23, 2013 at 4:55 amAwesome recipe! Can you create a salsa recipe (or other raw pickle) using pumpkins or winter squashes?
Linda Ly
September 23, 2013 at 4:13 pmPumpkin salsa is delicious, but it’s always cooked in some way to get that sweet tenderness. I’ve made quick-pickled thin-sliced zucchini using the pickling recipes on this blog, but haven’t tried it with winter squash yet. I imagine the process would be the same.
theGardenBetty
September 23, 2013 at 4:01 amRT @gardendesignmag: Great weekend treat! RT @theGardenBetty: Normal salsa is great, fermented salsa is fantastic. http://t.co/kUUlpmbFES
theGardenBetty
September 21, 2013 at 11:02 amIt’s not quite fall yet, so… Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/aL0Bx8hk6H #recipe < TY for RT! @RoloSolis1
theGardenBetty
September 20, 2013 at 9:01 pmA tangy probiotic you can’t nearly get enough of: Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/OVc8BsAXD2 #recipe
theGardenBetty
September 20, 2013 at 3:02 pmThe kind of goodness that can come out of your garden: Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/7khmFZSgvV #recipe
Duke Chase Mosakowski
September 20, 2013 at 11:38 amDuke Chase Mosakowski liked this on Facebook.
GardenDesignMag
September 20, 2013 at 9:39 amGreat weekend treat! RT @thegardenbetty: Normal salsa is great, fermented salsa is fantastic. http://t.co/L7hQw89Vys
theGardenBetty
September 20, 2013 at 9:03 amNormal salsa is great, fermented salsa is fantastic. Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/kUUlpmbFES #recipe
RtRecipe
September 19, 2013 at 12:20 pmRT @theGardenBetty: It’s not quite fall yet, so… Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/aL0Bx8hk6H #gardenchat #โฆ
theGardenBetty
September 19, 2013 at 12:01 pmIt’s not quite fall yet, so… Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/aL0Bx8hk6H #gardenchat #recipe
Nancy H Welch-Alwin
September 19, 2013 at 11:08 amNancy H Welch-Alwin liked this on Facebook.
Randall S. Winkler
September 19, 2013 at 6:53 amRandall S. Winkler liked this on Facebook.
Diana Heffernan-Schrader
September 19, 2013 at 6:23 amDiana Heffernan-Schrader liked this on Facebook.
BG_garden
September 19, 2013 at 6:01 amSummer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is):
This spicy salsa is what I like to call the Harvest Spec… http://t.co/iynlhWVwhv
theGardenBetty
September 19, 2013 at 6:01 amBlogged on Garden Betty: Summer Means Salsa (Spicy Fermented Salsa, That Is) http://t.co/5gFvE4MKqU