Jim's Salsa

I learned the art of fresh salsa making over a decade ago from a dear friend. Over the years this recipe has evolved and may in fact taste nothing like Jim's original but the same principles are applied today and we love it all the same.

One of the most important steps to creating this delicious snack or side dish is tomato preparation. Chop and strain the fresh tomatoes. This step is often skipped but not doing so results in a very soggy salsa. Start by chopping and dropping all tomatoes into a strainer held over a sink or bowl. As you add tomatoes to the strainer sprinkle with sea salt to speed up the dehydration process. Set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

For this batch I combined six ripe chopped tomatoes, one finely chopped jalapeno, a half of a finely chopped small white onion, one very large garlic minced (I typically use 1 clove per 2 tomatoes), four tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro, and the juice of one fresh lime. If the salt that was added to the strained tomatoes is not sufficient add sea salt to taste. Mix to combine and serve immediately. The flavours develop over time but with these fragrant fresh ingredients you will want to devour it as soon as the mixing implement has been removed.

As I mentioned earlier this salsa is perfect as a side dish. On this occasion I served "Jim's Salsa" atop fresh grilled tilapia fillet along with a few lemon wedges. Admittedly there were a few corn chips involved as well. Try this and enjoy!