I love salsa. Here in California, this condiment is an essential for our Latin-inspired cuisine. The problem is that store-bought versions are pretty rubbish, so I've been experimenting to create the perfect fresh, restaurant-style chipotle salsa recipe. I wanted something not too saucy, not too spicy, but fresh and flavorful. You guys – this is it. This cultured chipotle salsa is off-the-hook.
With the optional addition of a touch of fresh whey or sauerkraut juice this killer salsa becomes a probiotic-rich health food. If you like it spicier, feel free to add more chipotle or a diced jalapeno or two.
I'm planning on making gallons of this stuff while I have heirloom tomatoes and peppers fresh off our garden vine. I'll freeze it without the whey and then culture it when I defrost it. Come wintertime we can still relish the joys of summer's harvest.
Cultured chipotle salsa ingredients
- 3 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 2 mild green chile peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. raw honey – find raw honey here
- 1/2 cup packed, minced cilantro
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle – find ground chipotle here
- Juice of 1 lime
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 T. fresh whey or sauerkraut juice (optional for culturing)
Cultured chipotle salsa method
- Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse a few times until desired consistency is reached. (I prefer a fairly smooth salsa, but you may like yours chunkier).
- If you have added whey or sauerkraut juice for culturing, allow the salsa to sit on the counter top overnight, covered, before transferring to the fridge. You can eat some at any time. Salsa should keep for 1 week uncultured and for several months when cultured.
Does adding thw whey or sauerkraut juice cause the salsa to be fermented or do you have to do something else or do something else to make the salsa fermented?
Hi Holly, thanks for the question. The whey or sauerkraut juice are the fermenting agents. Other than that, you just need to leave it on the counter, covered, overnight.
Hi Emily,
Can I buy whey? If not and I use sauerkraut juice, do I need to buy a certain kind?
Hi Jill, thanks for your question. You can’t buy whey at any regular store, but you can buy yogurt, pour it into a floursack towel, pull the ends together with a rubberband, and hang for a few hours from a kitchen cabinet knob, collecting the whey in a bowl. If you opt for sauerkraut juice, buy a natural ferment that doesn’t use vinegar. Hope that helps!
following
Ok so I was making yogurt with raw milk and apparently set the temp on my Excalibur dehydrator to high. The temp of the “yogurt” after incubation was 113°f. Only My “yogurt” Didn’t Make right… It Separated into a thin layer of yogurt on top, curds at the bottom, and whey in the middle. Can I use this whey from my yogurt gone wrong in your recipes that call for whey? I’m struggling for ideas to use my half gallon of milk mess up bc raw milk isn’t cheap!
Ok so I was making yogurt with raw milk and apparently set the temp on my Excalibur dehydrator to high. The temp of the “yogurt” after incubation was 113°f. Only My “yogurt” Didn’t Make right… It Separated into a thin layer of yogurt on top, curds at the bottom, and whey in the middle. Can I use this whey from my yogurt gone wrong in your recipes that call for whey? I’m struggling for ideas to use my half gallon of milk mess up bc raw milk isn’t cheap! (Sorry for the repeat post! Forgot to mark I wanted to be notified when a fallow – up comment was posted!)
Hi Claudia – Yes, you can use the whey. You can also strain the ‘yogurt’ and make cheese.
We are dairy free right now (trying to heal some eczema issues and dairy is a trigger). What can I use instead of whey? Sauerkraut will take too long to make to use that. Could we use the juice from bubbies pickles until I have something homemade to ferment with?