What are the spices in salsa?

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

Typical commercial stupidmarket salsa generally contains very little by
way of spices, usually just a little black pepper, it contains herbs
like cilantro or parsley, and seasonings like salt and vinegar.... the
rest is fresh vegetables.

Sheldon

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
Sheldon).

Oddball salsas may use various ground chile peppers, cumin, and
[Mexican] oregano.

-sw

Sheldon said:

sqwertz said:

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
Sheldon).

Not much help to the OP, eh... she asked about spices.

See? I knew you'd come along humping my leg, so I explicitly
included that disclaimer with your name on it. Taljk about
predictable...

Quoted message said:

Those are herbs for everyone including botanists, sqwertz..

Uh, Botanists call them "bulbs" and "plants", dumbass.

-sw

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Good fresh salsa is not complicated. It generally has either tomatoes
or tomatillos, chiles, salt. A bit of finely diced garlic is nice too,
and perhaps a tiny bit of freshly milled black pepper. Stew that down
to a nice consistency, let it cool, then serve as is, or add any of the
following: finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro leaves (not stems),
finely chopped raw tomato, Mexican style sour cream, avocado, or some
other oddball ingredient such as corn (canned or preferably cut from
the cob).

Keep in mind that if you add uncooked ingredients, you greatly lessen
the shelf life to about 1-2 days in the fridge, from 4-7 days.

If using tomatoes instead of tomatillos, it may come out too sweet. A
tiny bit of lime or lemon juice will correct that. Use chiles that are
appropriate for your desired heat. Don't use hot chiles, but just less
of them. If you want mild salsa, use milder chiles. Also, don't
think you can't make good salsa with dried chiles. Dried chiles or
frozen chiles can do quite well. Canned chiles are mostly [censored], and
ones that are pickled in vinegar are certainly not, IMO, worthy of use
in salsas.

Go here:
http://rollybrook.com/kitchen.htm
Here's a nice salsa: http://rollybrook.com/salsa-guero.htm
My favorite Mexican salsa makers do one thing differently than Sra.
Martha does. They never cook the onion in their salsas, but add it
afterward, and in every case I have found that preferable.

You will absolutely love the site. The guy is a regular on
alt.food.mexican-cooking, if there is such a thing.

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know?

As far as "spices" go, black pepper and ground cumin, both used in
moderation are the only ones I'd contemplate using, except one Peruvian
friend adds bay leaf before stewing, and she leaves it in when serving.
You might want to pull out the bay leaves before serving, especially
if people are drinking alcoholic beverages, because bay leaves can be
dangerous.

--Bryan

sqwertz said:

Sheldon said:

sqwertz said:

RalGrl wrote:

> I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
> they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
> spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
> was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
> well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.
>
> Does anyone know?

Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
Sheldon).

Not much help to the OP, eh... she asked about spices.

Quoted message said:

Those are herbs for everyone including botanists, sqwertz..

Uh, Botanists call them "bulbs" and "plants", dumbass.

You're momma is a plant, stinkweed... your daddy is a bulb, 4 watts
worth... sqwertz, assface...

herb
: a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not
develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing
season.

Food Snob said:

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Good fresh salsa is not complicated. It generally has either tomatoes
or tomatillos, chiles, salt. A bit of finely diced garlic is nice too,
and perhaps a tiny bit of freshly milled black pepper. Stew that down
to a nice consistency, let it cool, then serve as is, or add any of the
following: finely chopped onion, chopped cilantro leaves (not stems),
finely chopped raw tomato, Mexican style sour cream, avocado, or some
other oddball ingredient such as corn (canned or preferably cut from
the cob).

Keep in mind that if you add uncooked ingredients, you greatly lessen
the shelf life to about 1-2 days in the fridge, from 4-7 days.

If using tomatoes instead of tomatillos, it may come out too sweet. A
tiny bit of lime or lemon juice will correct that. Use chiles that are
appropriate for your desired heat. Don't use hot chiles, but just less
of them. If you want mild salsa, use milder chiles. Also, don't
think you can't make good salsa with dried chiles. Dried chiles or
frozen chiles can do quite well. Canned chiles are mostly [censored], and
ones that are pickled in vinegar are certainly not, IMO, worthy of use
in salsas.

Go here:
http://rollybrook.com/kitchen.htm
Here's a nice salsa: http://rollybrook.com/salsa-guero.htm
My favorite Mexican salsa makers do one thing differently than Sra.
Martha does. They never cook the onion in their salsas, but add it
afterward, and in every case I have found that preferable.

You will absolutely love the site. The guy is a regular on
alt.food.mexican-cooking, if there is such a thing.

Quoted message said:

Does anyone know?

As far as "spices" go, black pepper and ground cumin, both used in
moderation are the only ones I'd contemplate using, except one Peruvian
friend adds bay leaf before stewing, and she leaves it in when serving.
You might want to pull out the bay leaves before serving, especially
if people are drinking alcoholic beverages, because bay leaves can be
dangerous.

Bryan, thank you so much for your advice. I've been making my fresh
salsa with only fresh: tomato, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and
peppers. And (once I drain the fresh tomatoes of most of it's water
content) it makes the GREATEST salsa. However, I really enjoy the
salsa at On The Border and I think there's more in that salsa than the
ingredients I just listed, so I'm left to thinking that it might be the
mysterious "spices" that I'm reading about on the salsa jars found in
the grocery store. On the Border even markets their salsa in bottles
at some places, but obviously the consistency and taste aren't quite
the same. And of course their lables say "...and spices". I think
trying the ground cumin and doing some of the techniques you've listed
should be a good place to start.

Thanks so much!

Sheldon said:

sqwertz said:

Sheldon said:

sqwertz wrote:
> RalGrl wrote:
>
>> I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
>> they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
>> spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
>> was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
>> well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.
>>
>> Does anyone know?
>
> Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
> Sheldon).

Not much help to the OP, eh... she asked about spices.

Quoted message said:

Those are herbs for everyone including botanists, sqwertz..

Uh, Botanists call them "bulbs" and "plants", dumbass.

You're momma is a plant, stinkweed... your daddy is a bulb, 4 watts
worth... sqwertz, assface...

herb
: a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not
develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing
season.

By that definition then, practically every vegetable is a herb,
including most of those things you call "spices". Since when
have you heard a botanists call a tomato a herb?

You've already lost this discussion with everyone here 10 times
over. Why do you keep coming back for more? Because you're
dense?

-sw

Steve Wertz said:

Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
Sheldon).

Oops. And fresh chiles of course. Some will add dried chile
powders which is an abomination to good salsa.

-sw

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

With a Google search, I found a copycat "On The Border" salsa recipe. I
have not made this, I just found it a few minutes ago. So take it for
what it's worth.

-----

http://www.renegadeforums.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=60103&rid=0#msg_60103

".....ON THE BORDER SALSA

Spices and Vegetables Mixture . . .
Bell Pepper, Green (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Bell Pepper, Red (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Cilantro (Chopped FRESH) - 1/4 Cup (MUST BE FRESH, dried will not be
the same)
Cumin - 1/4 Teaspoon
Garlic Clove, Large (Minced) - 1
Green Chili's Hot (Minced) - 1 (4 Ounce can)
Jalapeno Pepper (Minced) - 1
Lime Juice - 1/2 juice of a Lime
Onion, Small (Chopped very fine, I used my mini chopper for this) - 1
Salt - 1 Tablespoon

Chop all of this up very fine.

Tomato Combo . . .
Canned Tomatoes (Diced) - 2 (14.5 Ounce cans)
Roma Tomatoes - 2 Pounds

Boil about 3 quarts of water then place your tomatoes in and let them
boil until their skins start to come off. This makes it super easy to
peel them. The skins just slide right off, and they're slightly cooked
this way. Strain the tomatoes in a colander then cut off the ends of
them, and peel off the skins. Chop them up into 1/4" pieces or so.

Add to this 2 cans of DICED CANNED tomatoes, including juices.

Combine the tomato mixture with the rest of the ingredients in a large
bowl, mix well. Blend to proper consistency based on how you like your
salsa....."

-----

Rusty

Rusty said:

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

With a Google search, I found a copycat "On The Border" salsa recipe. I
have not made this, I just found it a few minutes ago. So take it for
what it's worth.

-----

http://www.renegadeforums.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=60103&rid=0#msg_60103

".....ON THE BORDER SALSA

Spices and Vegetables Mixture . . .
Bell Pepper, Green (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Bell Pepper, Red (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Cilantro (Chopped FRESH) - 1/4 Cup (MUST BE FRESH, dried will not be
the same)
Cumin - 1/4 Teaspoon
Garlic Clove, Large (Minced) - 1
Green Chili's Hot (Minced) - 1 (4 Ounce can)
Jalapeno Pepper (Minced) - 1
Lime Juice - 1/2 juice of a Lime
Onion, Small (Chopped very fine, I used my mini chopper for this) - 1
Salt - 1 Tablespoon

Chop all of this up very fine.

Tomato Combo . . .
Canned Tomatoes (Diced) - 2 (14.5 Ounce cans)
Roma Tomatoes - 2 Pounds

Boil about 3 quarts of water then place your tomatoes in and let them
boil until their skins start to come off. This makes it super easy to
peel them. The skins just slide right off, and they're slightly cooked
this way. Strain the tomatoes in a colander then cut off the ends of
them, and peel off the skins. Chop them up into 1/4" pieces or so.

Add to this 2 cans of DICED CANNED tomatoes, including juices.

Combine the tomato mixture with the rest of the ingredients in a large
bowl, mix well. Blend to proper consistency based on how you like your
salsa....."

Oh, you totally rock! I did a Google search for it as well but I must
not have dug far enough. I'm going to give this a try! Gracias :-)

Steve Wertz said:

Sheldon said:

sqwertz said:

Sheldon wrote:
> sqwertz wrote:
>> RalGrl wrote:
>>
>>> I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
>>> they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
>>> spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
>>> was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
>>> well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.
>>>
>>> Does anyone know?
>> Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
>> Sheldon).
> Not much help to the OP, eh... she asked about spices.
> Those are herbs for everyone including botanists, sqwertz..
Uh, Botanists call them "bulbs" and "plants", dumbass.

You're momma is a plant, stinkweed... your daddy is a bulb, 4 watts
worth... sqwertz, assface...

herb
: a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not
develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing
season.

By that definition then, practically every vegetable is a herb,
including most of those things you call "spices". Since when
have you heard a botanists call a tomato a herb?

A tomato is a fruit. Ergo if practically every vegetable is an herb, a
tomato is never one.

Quoted message said:

You've already lost this discussion with everyone here 10 times
over. Why do you keep coming back for more? Because you're
dense?

Has this been helpful, Ralgrl? 🙂

Pennyaline said:

Steve Wertz said:

Sheldon said:

sqwertz wrote:
> Sheldon wrote:
>> sqwertz wrote:
>>> RalGrl wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
>>>> they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
>>>> spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
>>>> was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
>>>> well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.
>>>>
>>>> Does anyone know?
>>> Onion, garlic, cilantro whould be the only spices (or herbs - for
>>> Sheldon).
>> Not much help to the OP, eh... she asked about spices.
>> Those are herbs for everyone including botanists, sqwertz..
> Uh, Botanists call them "bulbs" and "plants", dumbass.
You're momma is a plant, stinkweed... your daddy is a bulb, 4 watts
worth... sqwertz, assface...

herb
: a seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial that does not
develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing
season.

By that definition then, practically every vegetable is a herb,
including most of those things you call "spices". Since when
have you heard a botanists call a tomato a herb?

A tomato is a fruit. Ergo if practically every vegetable is an herb, a
tomato is never one.

Quoted message said:

You've already lost this discussion with everyone here 10 times
over. Why do you keep coming back for more? Because you're
dense?

Has this been helpful, Ralgrl? 🙂

Oh, not in the least :-)

Funny how one benign question about salsa can get people fighting with
each other. I don't know if it's amusing or just sad.

Sheldon said:

Typical commercial stupidmarket salsa generally contains very little by
way of spices, usually just a little black pepper, it contains herbs
like cilantro or parsley, and seasonings like salt and vinegar.... the
rest is fresh vegetables.

Sheldon's head is a rotten vegetable.

One of the "vegetables" in all "salsa" is some sort of pepper (like
jalapeno flesh, not talicherry peppercorns), usually roasted.

--Blair

RalGrl said:

Quoted message said:

Has this been helpful, Ralgrl? 🙂

Oh, not in the least :-)

Funny how one benign question about salsa can get people fighting with
each other. I don't know if it's amusing or just sad.

Hi patches..

Rusty said:

RalGrl said:

I've been reading the ingredients listed on several jars of salsa and
they always just say "and spices", but they never list exactly what
spices are used. Does anyone know specific spices that are used? I
was thinking the great salsa at On The Border uses some spices as
well as fresh ingredients, but I can't quite place what they use.

Does anyone know?

With a Google search, I found a copycat "On The Border" salsa recipe. I
have not made this, I just found it a few minutes ago. So take it for
what it's worth.

-----

http://www.renegadeforums.com/index.php?t=msg&goto=60103&rid=0#msg_60103

".....ON THE BORDER SALSA

Spices and Vegetables Mixture . . .
Bell Pepper, Green (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Bell Pepper, Red (Finely Chopped) - 1/4
Cilantro (Chopped FRESH) - 1/4 Cup (MUST BE FRESH, dried will not be
the same)
Cumin - 1/4 Teaspoon
Garlic Clove, Large (Minced) - 1
Green Chili's Hot (Minced) - 1 (4 Ounce can)
Jalapeno Pepper (Minced) - 1
Lime Juice - 1/2 juice of a Lime
Onion, Small (Chopped very fine, I used my mini chopper for this) - 1
Salt - 1 Tablespoon

Chop all of this up very fine.

Tomato Combo . . .
Canned Tomatoes (Diced) - 2 (14.5 Ounce cans)
Roma Tomatoes - 2 Pounds

Hmm, the only spice listed is the cumin (I don't like cumin in salsa).
And this make's little sense, kinda dago speak: "Lime Juice - 1/2
juice of a Lime".... shouldn't that be *juice of half a lime*? And I
think 1 Tbs salt is excessive for that recipe. I wouldn't use any
canned tomatoes either. I grow my own tomatoes and make lots of salsa;
I like to use quartered cherry tomatoes... I don't need to peel them as
they have such thin skin, I don't remove that tiny core either...
tomato skin is healthful too. I usually prepare a 2 quart bowlful for
lunch each day... more a salsa salad... I like to add tiny dice cukes
too. I have so many cherry tomatoes I couldn't use them up otherwise.
I don't like cilantro, tastes like soap to me, I use lots of parsley
instead... didja know that pound for pound parsley contains more
vitamin C than citrus.

Sheldon

Blair P. Houghton said:

Sheldon said:

Typical commercial stupidmarket salsa generally contains very little by
way of spices, usually just a little black pepper, it contains herbs
like cilantro or parsley, and seasonings like salt and vinegar.... the
rest is fresh vegetables.

Sheldon's head is a rotten vegetable.

One of the "vegetables" in all "salsa" is some sort of pepper (like
jalapeno flesh, not talicherry peppercorns), usually roasted.

Unless it's salsa cruda or pico de gallo (and don't ask me what the
difference is, because I don't know) in which case everything is fresh
and raw.

Kathleen

Kathleen said:

Blair Puny IQ Houghton said:

Sheldon said:

Typical commercial stupidmarket salsa generally contains very little by
way of spices, usually just a little black pepper, it contains herbs
like cilantro or parsley, and seasonings like salt and vinegar.... the
rest is fresh vegetables.

One of the "vegetables" in all "salsa" is some sort of pepper (like
jalapeno flesh, not talicherry peppercorns), usually roasted.

Unless it's salsa cruda or pico de gallo (and don't ask me what the
difference is, because I don't know) in which case everything is fresh
and raw.

Kathleen

Most salsas contain *ground* black pepper (most recipes contain ground
black pepper, and it's tellicherry,not "talicherry"😉... never seen any
salsas with peppercorns. I've never yet seen a recipe indicating which
specific peppercorn... most indicate black or white, some one of the
other colors (green, pink, etc.).
Most commercial salsas don't contain any jalapeno, they contain ground
cayenne for heat... that must be in with the "and spices". Remember,
the original poster asked specifically about commercial salsa, not home
made.... there aren't many more varieties of commercial salsas as
fingers of one hand and all are pretty much the same tomatoey slop,
however there are literally thousands of home made salsas, many with no
tomato whatsoever.

Sheldon

Sheldon the literalist moron said:

Most salsas contain *ground* black pepper (most recipes contain ground
black pepper, and it's tellicherry,not "talicherry"😉... never seen any
salsas with peppercorns. I've never yet seen a recipe indicating which
specific peppercorn... most indicate black or white, some one of the
other colors (green, pink, etc.).
Most commercial salsas don't contain any jalapeno, they contain ground
cayenne for heat... that must be in with the "and spices".

The ingredients list of the most popular salsa in America.

CRUSHED TOMATOES (WATER, CONCERNTRATED CRUSHED TOMATOES), FRESH ONIONS,
FRESH JALAPEÑO PEPPERS, DICED TOMATOES IN TOMATO JUICE, DISTILLED
VINEGAR, SALT, DEHYDRATED ONIONS AND GARLIC.
http://www.pacefoods.com/productpopup.aspx?product=pc_picante_sauce&prd_product_id=10818

Jalapenos buit no black pepper of any kind. You fatuous idiot.

Quoted message said:

Remember,
the original poster asked specifically about commercial salsa, not home
made.... there aren't many more varieties of commercial salsas as
fingers of one hand and all are pretty much the same tomatoey slop,
however there are literally thousands of home made salsas, many with no
tomato whatsoever.

There's one variety of Sheldon, and that's the foot-in-mouth kind.

--Blair

Sheldon said:

Quoted message said:

Green Chili's Hot (Minced) - 1 (4 Ounce can)
Jalapeno Pepper (Minced) - 1
Lime Juice - 1/2 juice of a Lime

Hmm, the only spice listed is the cumin (I don't like cumin in salsa).

DP YOU MEAN THE ONLY SPICE THAT ISN'T HOT GREEN CHILIS OR JALAPENOS,
SHELDON???

Quoted message said:

And this make's little sense, kinda dago speak:

Get off the net, you racist moron.

--Blair