There used to be a Mexican restaurant near the high school I went to that had delicious salsa. Growing up, my family didn’t go out to eat often, but when we did this place was a favorite.
As with all of our family favorite restaurants, my dad knew the entire staff by name and always asked about the ingredients in his favorite dishes. He’s one of those people who loves cooking (I’m so sad I didn’t inherit his passion) and frequently tries to re-create at home the food he loves in restaurants. This salsa recipe is Papa Nate’s take on the family favorite from Colina de Oro. Since salsa is easy to make and fun to serve, we’ve made it a ton over the years! Many family friends know this as “Jones Salsa.”
INGREDIENTS
- 2 | 28 oz cans | Tomatillos (Winco is the only place I can find these)
- 3 | 28 oz cans | Diced Tomatoes (regular or fire roasted)
- 2 | medium size | Jalapeños (OR 2/3 of a 4 oz can of diced jalapeños)
- 1 | medium size | Onion
- 1 | Tbs | Garlic Powder
- 2 | Tbs | Ground Cumin
- 1 | Tbs | Lemon Pepper
- 2 | Tbs | Taco Seasoning
- 3 | Tbs | Rice Vinegar
- 1 | Tbs | Salt (see tips below)
- 1 | Tbs | Sugar (optional – dilutes spice to enjoy jalapeño flavor w/out burn)
- 3 | Tbs | Lime Juice
- .5 – 1 | bunch | Cilantro
- 1 | gallon sized | pitcher
TIP 1: Sometimes this recipe needs .5 Tbs of salt and other times it needs 1.5 Tbs of salt. Each brand of canned tomatoes/tomatillos has a different amount of salt inside so it is hard to tell how much salt to add. Start small and work your way up – a true salt to taste!
TIP 2: This recipe makes 1 GALLON of salsa. If you don’t already have one, get yourself a 1 or 1.5 gallon container before making this. My parents seem to only cook for dozens of people at a time so this amount is normal for the Jones house but probably not normal elsewhere. It is easiest to use a pitcher with a lid so you can pour out a small bowl at a time for serving. Also, this is fresh salsa so it has a short self-life. After about 5-6 days it will start tasting fermented… not great. If you don’t plan on hosting a party with this salsa I recommend splitting the recipe in half. The photo below is half a batch.
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine tomatillos and one of the tomato cans (most of juice drained from all cans) in a blender and pulse 3-4 times. Pour blended mixture into your gallon sized container.
Remove seeds from jalapeños and cut into quarters. Blend jalapeños, remaining tomatoes, and all other remaining ingredients together – except onion and cilantro. Add mixture to gallon container.
Dice onion really small. Pick cilantro leaves off the stems and chop. Add onion and cilantro to gallon container.
Stir contents of gallon container. Use a salted tortilla chip to test the finished product! Add salt if needed. If salsa is too spicy, try adding a little sugar to calm it down. Store salsa in the fridge.
Enjoy the salsa with chips or on tamales, eggs, tacos, etc. If you like the result, thank Papa Nate!
Harold Jones
October 2, 2018 at 12:12 pmawesome!