Roasted Tomato–Lime Salsa
By America's Test KitchenPublished on July 12, 2020
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours cooling
Yield
Makes four 1-cup jars
Ingredients
2½ pounds tomatoes, cored and halved1 onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds5 red jalapeño or Fresno chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise6 garlic cloves, peeled⅓ cup bottled lime juice 2½ teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Before You Begin
For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lime juice, not fresh squeezed juice, in this recipe. This salsa is fairly spicy; to make it more mild, remove and discard the chile seeds.
Instructions
- Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-cup jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes, cut side down, and onion on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatoes are well charred, about 15 minutes; transfer to bowl. Place chiles, cut side down, and garlic on now-empty sheet and broil until chiles are well charred, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer chiles, garlic, half of tomatoes, and half of onions to food processor and process until thick puree, about 10 seconds; transfer to Dutch oven. Transfer remaining broiled tomatoes and onions to now-empty food processor and pulse into ½-inch pieces, 2 or 3 pulses; add to pot.
- Stir in lime juice, salt, sugar, cilantro, and cumin. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until salsa has thickened slightly and measures slightly more than 4 cups, about 10 minutes.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Using funnel and ladle, portion hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar to remove air bubbles, adding more salsa as needed.
- For short-term storage: Let jars cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and serve. (Salsa can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.) For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 15 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 25 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 30 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)
Time
1¼ hours, plus 2 hours coolingYield
Makes four 1-cup jarsIngredients
2½ pounds tomatoes, cored and halved
1 onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
5 red jalapeño or Fresno chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup bottled lime juice
2½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Ingredients
2½ pounds tomatoes, cored and halved
1 onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
5 red jalapeño or Fresno chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup bottled lime juice
2½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Ingredients
2½ pounds tomatoes, cored and halved
1 onion, sliced into ½-inch-thick rounds
5 red jalapeño or Fresno chiles, stemmed and halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup bottled lime juice
2½ teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Why This Recipe Works
To achieve the spicy, smoky-sweet flavor of traditional salsa asada, or “roasted salsa,” we broiled halved tomatoes and red jalapeños, sliced onion, and whole garlic cloves.Cilantro added brightness, while ground cumin provided earthy undertones. Unfortunately, our salsa was a bit watery and dripped off our tortilla chips. Cooking our salsa on the stovetop intensified its flavors and developed a saucier base. To safely process this salsa, we acidified it with lime juice, which also gave it a fresh tang.
Before You Begin
For safety reasons, be sure to use bottled lime juice, not fresh squeezed juice, in this recipe. This salsa is fairly spicy; to make it more mild, remove and discard the chile seeds.
Instructions
- Set canning rack in large pot, place four 1-cup jars in rack, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then turn off heat and cover to keep hot.
- Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes, cut side down, and onion on prepared sheet. Broil until tomatoes are well charred, about 15 minutes; transfer to bowl. Place chiles, cut side down, and garlic on now-empty sheet and broil until chiles are well charred, about 8 minutes.
- Transfer chiles, garlic, half of tomatoes, and half of onions to food processor and process until thick puree, about 10 seconds; transfer to Dutch oven. Transfer remaining broiled tomatoes and onions to now-empty food processor and pulse into ½-inch pieces, 2 or 3 pulses; add to pot.
- Stir in lime juice, salt, sugar, cilantro, and cumin. Boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until salsa has thickened slightly and measures slightly more than 4 cups, about 10 minutes.
- Place dish towel flat on counter. Using jar lifter, remove jars from pot, draining water back into pot. Place jars upside down on towel and let dry for 1 minute. Using funnel and ladle, portion hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Slide wooden skewer along inside of jar to remove air bubbles, adding more salsa as needed.
- For short-term storage: Let jars cool to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate, and serve. (Salsa can be refrigerated for up to 1 month.) For long-term storage: While jars are hot, wipe rims clean, add lids, and screw on rings until fingertip-tight; do not overtighten. Return pot of water with canning rack to boil. Lower jars into water, cover, bring water back to boil, then start timer. Cooking time will depend on your altitude: Boil 15 minutes for up to 1,000 feet, 20 minutes for 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 25 minutes for 3,001 to 6,000 feet, or 30 minutes for 6,001 to 8,000 feet. Turn off heat and let jars sit in pot for 5 minutes. Remove jars from pot and let cool for 24 hours. Remove rings, check seal, and clean rims. (Sealed jars can be stored for up to 1 year.)
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