Salsa (Fermented)
This fermented salsa recipe produces a tangy tomato sauce with strong flavour. No cooking is required.
- Prep
- 16 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 9 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Clean and dry a large (1 litre) preserves jar and a large bowl
Procedure
Dice the tomatoes
Procedure
Quarter and slice the capsicum
Procedure
Finely slice the chilis, removing the seeds if you prefer. Make sure to wash your hands right after cutting the chilis, and DO NOT touch your eyes or face for some time after handling the chilis—if you do, the chili juice residue could cause a very painful burning sensation.)
Procedure
Peel and chop the onion and garlic finely. Roughly chop the cilantro.
Procedure
Mix all ingredients together in the bowl with salt and (optional) spices; mix well!
Procedure
Pack tightly into the jar, leaving 1 cm space at the top.
Procedure
Cover the jar with a cloth or cling-wrap. Sit the jar in a bowl or on a plate, so that any juice that might overflow will be collected and won't make a mess. Leave to ferment at room temperature.
Procedure
The salsa will be fermented in 2–3 days, depending on the climate. Wipe any excess liquid from around the jar, and put the lid on tightly before moving it to the refrigerator. It will last well in the fridge, but will continue to slowly ferment, getting more sour as time passes.
Notes, tips, and variations
With the above fresh ingredients, there should be enough microbial load for the salsa to start fermenting by itself. Bubbles will begin rising to the top of the jar, showing that fermentation is under way—you should be able to see this through the side of the jar. Don't seal the jar while it is fermenting, as it will build up gas pressure and might break the jar. If you are concerned that fermentation will not start by itself, you can add a starter culture. A good starter culture is a little juice from a recently-fermented sauerkraut or kimchi, as this will bring across the necessary lactic acid bacteria and yeasts.
Notes, tips, and variations
This is best within a few days, unless you like it quite sour!
Notes, tips, and variations
The salt used should be non-iodised salt if possible (e.g. pickling salt, kosher salt). This is because the iodine in iodised table salt will inhibit the fermentation a little. Use what you've got, but best results will be obtained without the iodine.
Notes, tips, and variations
Use fresh ingredients where possible; if you do use canned or dried ingredients, you may need to use a starter (see above).
Notes, tips, and variations
This recipe prefers to ferment at a temperature between 18–22°C (64–72°F). It will happily ferment outside that range, but if you want to keep it in that range, there are some tips available on the fermentation page.
Notes, tips, and variations
There is a suggestion on the talk page that more salt is required; read the discussion and decide for yourself, but traditional French recipes add no salt during the fermentation of crushed tomatoes. Salt volume recommendations made without specifying brand (and therefore grain size and shape) are not precise in any case.
Warnings
When handling hot chilis, use gloves or take extra care to keep your hands away from eyes and other sensitive areas even after washing them.
Photo: Webaware · Public domain · · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 16 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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