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Hola, amigos! Ed Levine here. With Cinco de Mayo fast approaching, the Serious Eats staff thought it was high time to get serioso about salsa. I turned this one over to Serious Eats managing editor Adam Kuban for the write up. Here he is. —Ed Levine
Thanks, Ed. Spanish for "sauce," the word salsa is used in the U.S. primarily in reference to the spicy, typically tomato-based concoctions found in Mexican cuisine. A salsa usually consists of diced tomatoes, chilies, onions, garlic, and cilantro and is most often used as a dip in the U.S. but also as a condiment at the table and at street stalls in Mexico.
We usually prefer making our own (since it's so easy and the freshness can't be beat; here's a recipe from Serious Eats), but when you're pressed for time, it's always easier to open a jar and pour it into a bowl than shop for everything and chop it all up. With convenience in mind, we took a trip to the supermarket and rounded up a number of readily available jarred varieties of salsa for a taste test. As opposed to traditional salsa cruda, which is served raw, jarred varieties are cooked and have vinegar added, to increase shelf stability.
When we got back to the office, we rounded up some victimas from the Serious Eats staff to serve as guinea pigs. It was to be a blind tasting of cinco salsas, all medium (mild is too wimpy, but we thought the heat of the hot varieties might overpower our taste buds). We were looking for good texture, a moderate level of heat, a good balance of ingredient flavors, and whatever note of freshness was still left after processing. OK. On to the taste-testing. Vamanos!
Emeril's Original Recipe Salsa
"I took the goodness of red ripe tomatotes, peppers, and onions, added an extra dash of zip, a pinch of kick, and BAM!—you've got my Original Recipe Salsa," Emeril says on the jar.
The Blind Tasting
"This has a nice kick to it," said Serious Eats overlord Ed Levine.
"But it's too sweet," I said. "It leaves a lingering sugary aftertaste, despite the nice burn."
"I'd bet there's sugar added to this," Ed said. "Who adds sugar to salsa?"
"What are green bell peppers doing in the mix?" our web designer, Raphael, asked.
Conclusion
When it was revealed that Numero Uno was Emeril's, we reached for the jar. Sure enough: Sugar is listed as one of the ingredients on the label, along with those pesky green bell peppers, a vegetable that has no business in a serious salsa. Ay, caramba!
Pace Chunky Salsa:
Along with Old El Paso, Pace is an old-school variety that predates the salsa renaissance in the U.S. Just this month, it was judged by a tasting panel at Cook's Illustrated magazine as the best jarred salsa on the market. We were curious how Pace would play out in our taste test.
The Blind Tasting
Ed: "Not all that chunky, and barely spicy."
Me: "It's got an overpowering vinegar taste. And has only a mild kick as far as spiciness goes."
Conclusion
Nobody liked this one. Too much vinegar, not enough spice from Numero Dos.
Salpica Tomato Jalapeno Salsa
This is celebrity chef Rick Bayless's salsa. Given Bayless's obsession and skill with Mexican food, we thought we'd add it to the mix.
The Blind Tasting
"Ugh. This is SO garlicky," I said. "It overpowers all other flavors. Is there even tomato in this salsa?"
"This one has no burn," said Serious Eats general manager Alaina.
"It's got a roasted flavor," Raphael said. "They must have used roasted tomatoes, which might account for its brownish red color and the black flecks in the sauce."
Conclusion
Another loser. Once this salsa's jar was revealed to us, we saw on the lid the words "fire-roasted" and "garlic." Smelled wonderful enough—just didn't taste wonderful. The garlic had a "disgusting garlic powder taste," according to Ed.
Herdez Salsa Casera
The only contender actually from Mexico. Pace can tease other salsas about being from New York City (remember those commercials?), but as far as street cred goes, it's got nada on Herdez.
The Blind Tasting
"This has good mouthfeel, nice texture," Alaina said.
"It's very watery but it actually tastes like tomatoes," Raphael chimed in.
"It's bland as water," I said. "There's no there there."
"But it would make a good base for a salsa," Raphael countered. "You could just chop some fresh cilantro and then you'd have a salsa."
Conclusion
The winner (in a tie). Though the blandest of the bunch, this one had good, semi-firm texture and could be improved upon with minor kitchen work. For those looking for simplicity in their foods, the label lists as ingredients only tomatoes, onions, serrano peppers, salt, and cilantro. Absent are any words from chemistry class. Alaina and Raphael chose the Herdez salsa as their favorite from among the bunch.
All-Natural Tostito's Chunky Salsa
In an earlier taste test in Cook's Illustrated, Tostino's was given a ranking of "recommended," but had lost it in that magazine's most recent jarred-salsa test. Salsa eaters can be fickle, I guess. We were, admittedly, skeptical ourselves.
The Blind Tasting
Raphael: "No. Uh uh. I feel like I'm eating ketchup."
Me: "This looks almost unnaturally red, but it has a nice burn and is well balanced."
Alaina: "It tastes very much like Number 2—slightly sweet and acidic. I prefer Number 4."
Ed: "I like this one the most. There's not one flavor component that overpowers another."
Conclusion
The winner (in a tie). Both Ed and I liked this one most. That really surprised us, since we just figured Tostino's brand was an afterthought in Frito-Lay's mind in comparison to the tortilla chips of the same name. Raphael thought it was too sweet and processed-tasting, and Alaina just thought it was bland. What Ed and I liked was the fact that all the flavors were in balance. It wasn't too sweet, like Emeril's, nor was it too vinegary, like the Pace. Its garlic or onion didn't overpower, either.
Final Thoughts
We still think it's best to make your own salsa. After all, if you've got to add some fresh cilantro to Herdez, why not do a little extra work? But if you'd like to keep a jar on hand just in case, we'd feel good about recommending Herdez or Tostino's.
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