These three condiments are often confused and more often used in the same context. No big deal. Call them what you may...but here are the differences.
Salsa is the Spanish (and Italian) word for sauce. It is a broad description of most anything resembling a sauce. There is salsa cruda, (aka salsa fresca or pico de gallo), salsa roja (sometimes referred to as hot sauce or chile sauce), salsa verde (made with tomatillos), salsa ranchera, salsa, taquera...and so on. There is also salsa dancing...which will not be described in this post...something for which Loretta and I have been wanting to take lessons. There are as many salsa and chile sauce recipes as there are cooks who are into Spanish or Mexican cooking.
Most jarred salsas available from your local grocer are, for lack of a better term, gross concoctions from people like Campbell's or Heinz or Bush Brothers that don’t resemble what traditional salsa recipes were meant to be: a fresh-made vegetable-based condiment or relish. Those store-bought messes they call salsa contain much of the usual commercial preservative type ingredients found in most everything these days. Xantham gun, guar gum, MSG, too much vinegar, and too much salt are just a few. Plus, they are usually cooked as well...part of the extended shelf life process and more resemble spaghetti sauce than salsa. Regarding those so-called “fresh” plastic containers of pico de gallo or salsa fresca...my advice is to “pass”. As I describe in the recipe below, fresh flavors and smells go bye-bye soon after chopping and combining.These never taste right!
I almost always have a jar of commercial jar salsa (usually Pace) for making a quick taco ground beef recipe. But I just can’t get myself to serve this stuff to guests (or myself) for any chips and salsa application. For that, I make pico de gallo.
Literally translated, pico de gallo means “beak of the cock” (rooster’s beak). It is sometimes also referred to as salsa cruda (sauce raw or fresh). By the way, cruda also is used to describe being hungover...but expounding on that is for a whole other blog as well.
Treat yourself to this simple and flavorful pico de gallo recipe the next time you have guests over. Fry up your own corn tortilla chips as well. Your guests will ask for “your salsa and chips” every time they come over. In a bowl, mix 2 cups diced, fresh, ripe tomatoes, 1/2 cup diced onion (I prefer white onions, though red onions work just as well), 2 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno or serrano chilies, 1/4 cup diced fresh cilantro, 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice, and 1 tsp minced fresh garlic (optional)...add salt to taste. You should make this pico de gallo recipe just before your guests arrive, the flavors diminish within a few hours. Never make it the day before...the taste and aromas aren’t nearly as fresh and satisfying. Better yet, if you like to entertain as I do, chop up all the ingredients while your guests are sitting there...they will appreciate it.
Some of the fresh made chile or hot sauces found in good restaurants are very nice. A chile sauce is basically dried chilies (red, pasilla, ancho, etc.), and reconstituted with water or sometimes cooked with broth, then pureed in a food processor. In the “old country”, traditional Mexican cooks simply ground the dried chilies with a mortar and pestle, then added water...voila: chile sauce! They typically are much more picante or hot than salsa or pico de gallo and can be made at home without much hassle.
As with any fresh-made recipe, you should experiment with the ingredients, especially the amount of chilies, to suit your tastes. I like my chile sauce and pico de gallo mas picante than my peers. Another result of old age and the depletion of my taste buds I think! In fact, I make a great chile sauce with fresh roasted garlic, fresh roasted tomatoes, and fresh diced habanero chilies...it’s gooooood...good and hot...and tastes great on a nice, thick, BBQ’d steak. The endorphin rush and resulting forehead sweat is better than a good laugh or a good cry for your well being.
And speaking of your well being...pico de gallo and chile sauce has no trans fat or cholesterol. In fact, it has no fat at all and is a great healthy alternative to tartar sauce on fresh grilled fish. The healthy benefits of all the ingredients, especially the garlic, are undeniable by any nutrition expert. The only down side: If you have a sensitive digestive system, ie, GERD or Acid Reflux...don’t do it! The momentary pleasure one gets from eating these wonderful condiments don’t outweigh the side effects from the tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and garlic...all or any of these fresh veggies will tear you up if your plumbing is shot!
This Grilled Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla recipe I found in the September 2006 Sunset. Of course, I adjusted it a little to suit our tastes and Loretta's sensitivities (no Chipotle chilies in her sour cream sauce), and she had to pass on the pico de gallo. The chipotle-lime sauce that goes in it is just right. It turned out well and was very flavorful. If anyone requests my Chicken Quesadilla recipe in the comments section of this blog, I will post it shortly. By the way, it's pronounced kay-sah-dee-ya...not kway-sah-dill-ah like Napolean Dynamite's grandma pronounces it!
Coming soon to this Jack Diddley blog: a proper guacamole recipe. And it ain't gonna have any salsa or sour cream in it!
