Craving something spicy and delicious? Try Smokey Salsa with Chipotle Peppers! The perfect accompaniment to tacos, nachos, burritos, and more. Made with fresh tomatoes, onions, and smokey chipotle peppers, this salsa adds a zesty flavor to any meal. Serve as a dip, marinade, or condiment on your favorite Mexican dishes. It's the perfect addition to any Taco Tuesday fiesta!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Flavors - the bold flavors have a perfect balance of smokey, tangy and spicy. Tastes way better than store-bought salsa
- Chunky - the perfect texture to easily dip your tortilla chips, not a blended restaurant style puree
- Large Batch Salsa - a perfect canning salsa to give away to family and friends
- Uncomplicated Method - No pre-roasting of tomatoes or peppers, no blender. All you need is a cutting board, sharp knife and a large pot!
Ingredients
- Chipotles in Adobo Sauce - smoked, dried jalapeño peppers in tomato sauce, easily found in supermarkets. The secret ingredient to amazing tasting salsa!
- Tomatoes - vine ripened are best, and you'll need about 4½ pounds (2kg)
- Peppers - variety of sweet and spicy peppers like Jalapeños, colorful Bell Peppers, and Banana Peppers
- Garlic and Onions - white onions are popular for salsa, but I always use yellow onions for a stronger flavor because it tastes better in cooked salsa
- Tomato Paste - adds depth and flavor
- Sugar - creates balance in the acidity of the tomatoes
- Spices - salt, paprika and oregano
- Cilantro - fresh herb that perfectly compliments salsa
Best Peppers for Salsa?
Sweet Peppers make up the majority of peppers in salsa, which are low on the Scoville Heat Scale. The spiciness in salsa is usually adjusted by one pepper variety, usually jalapeños, which allows you to control the heat (or Chipotles in this recipe). The varieties of Sweet Peppers are flexible and interchangeable, here is some suggestions to try.
- Sweet Bell Peppers, Red, Orange or Yellow - 0 to 100 Scoville Units
- Sweet Paprika Peppers - 0 to 100 Scoville Units
- Banana Peppers - 0 to 500 Scoville Units
- Cubanelle Peppers - 100 to 1000 Scoville Units
- Poblano Peppers - 1000-1500 Scoville Units
- Anaheim Peppers - 500 to 2500 Scoville Units
Best Spicy Peppers for Salsa
Canned Chipotle Peppers in Adobo sauce is the hero of this recipe. Heat tolerance in recipes is varies to personal taste. This Smokey Salsa is medium-spicy. Add 2 generous tablespoons of chopped Chipotle Peppers, taste and adjust as needed. You can't take away spicy heat, but it's easy to add in!
Fresh Jalapeños are most commonly used in homemade salsas, but they aren't actually very hot (in my opinion). If you want to add extra Jalapeño heat and flavor, add 1 cup of chopped Jalapeños. Also keep the Jalapeño seeds in the salsa, which is the spiciest part of peppers.
Here are some medium-spice Pepper suggestions. Use the Scoville Heat Units as your guide. You can substitute Jalapeños with any Spicy Pepper of your choice.
- Jalapeño Peppers - 2500 to 8000 Scoville Units
- Fresno Peppers - 2500 to 10,000 Scoville Units
- Serrano Peppers - 10,000 to 23,000 Scoville Units
- Cayenne Peppers - 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units
How to Make Smokey Salsa
- Prepare - coarsely chop tomatoes, dice peppers, onion, chipotles and garlic.
- Mix - in a large non-aluminum stock pot, combine all the ingredients except the cilantro.
- Simmer - over medium-high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 1-½ to 2 hours.
- Herbs - add the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes.
- Fill - sterilize jars and carefully fill them with salsa.
Canning Tips
Canning is the best way to preserve your salsa, but it can be tricky. Even the most seasoned cook can have canning fails. Here are some recommendations.
- Vinegar - don't reduce the amount of vinegar in this recipe. Canning requires acid to limit bacteria growth
- Sterilization - boil glass jars and lids for at least 10 minutes if at sea level height. Add an additional minute of sterilization for each 1000 feet higher than sea level.
- New Lids - don't endlessly re-use your mason jar lids. Buy new lids with seals as needed.
- Don't Burn Yourself - use Jar Lifter Tongs to carefully remove the hot jars from the boiling water.
- Check the Seal - press the middle of the lid with your finger. If lid springs up or down, then the jar isn't sealed. As this jar isn't shelf stable, keep it in the fridge.
Water Bath Canning
- Fill sterilised jar with salsa, leaving ½" gap from the top.
- Cover with lid and screw into place.
- Boil salsa jars, fully submerged under water, for at least 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove from canner, flip upside down and allow to cool for 24 hours until it seals.
- If the pickles don't seal and lid still pops, just place in fridge and enjoy within a month
Arm yourself with information and instructions from the experts. Here are the links to the USDA Canning Guidelines and FDA Canning
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Colorful Peppers - Choose colorful peppers to make your salsa look and taste interesting! If the recipe calls for 1 cup of pepper and you have extra left over, it's ok to throw it in! More peppers makes salsa chunkier!
- Vinegar - Substitute Apple Cider Vinegar with Red Wine Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
- Tomatoes - Paste Tomatoes like Roma are often used as they are meaty and have less juice and seeds, but you can use any ripe tomato for this recipe
- Mild Salsa - If you want a mild salsa, skip the chipotle peppers, but keep the jalapeño peppers without seeds
- Safety - When preparing canned foods, If in doubt, throw it out! Don't risk something you are unsure of!
Do I Need To Remove Tomato Skins?
No, you don't need to remove the skin from Tomatoes. The Tomato skins will cook down when the Salsa is simmering on the stove. Coarsely slice and chop the tomatoes and you're ready to cook.
How Long Does Canned Salsa Last?
If canned Salsa is made and store properly, it should last at least 12 months on the shelf. Some people have had success with longer periods. However my advice is to eat it up before tomato season where you can make it all over again!
Can You Freeze Salsa?
Yes! Cooked Salsa freezes well and can last 3-4 months in the freezer. Place cooled Salsa in a freezer safe container or a Ziploc bag. Leave enough room for expansion (about 1" from the top). Don't freeze salsa in glass jars as glass cracks, don't risk it.
Summer Vegetable Recipes You'll Love
- Mango Tomato Salsa
- Guacamole with Chipotle Peppers
- Canning Whole Tomatoes
- Summer Pickled Squash
- Homemade Dill Pickles
- Quick Pickled Chili Peppers
- Russian Pickles - Refrigerator Pickles
- Pickled Cabbage with Beets
- Texas Caviar
The flavors in this Smokey Salsa made with Adobo Chipotle Peppers will blow you away. A delicious way to use up your summer veggies, with plenty of salsa to share with others. Follow the recipe with easy step by step video instructions. You'll never want to buy store-bought salsa again. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Equipment
- Water Canner
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 10 cups coarsely chopped Tomatoes 4½ pounds or 2 kg
- 2 large Onions chopped
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
Peppers
- ½ cup Jalapeño Peppers chopped with seeds in for extra spice
- 3 cups Banana Peppers, chopped and seeded I used red Sweet Paprika Peppers
- 1 cup Red Bell Pepper diced (or use entire pepper)
- 1 cup Yellow Bell Pepper diced (or use entire pepper)
- 1 cup Orange Bell Pepper diced (or use entire pepper)
Canned Goods
- 2 tablespoons Chipotles in Adobo sauce chopped
- 1 can Tomato Paste 6oz/140g can
- 1 ½ cups Apple Cider Vinegar
Spices
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 teaspoons Paprika Powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
Fresh Herbs
- ½ cup Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables. Coarsely chop tomatoes, dice peppers, onion, chipotle peppers and garlic.
- In a large non-aluminum stock pot, combine all the ingredients except cilantro.
- Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for about 1-½ to 2 hours.
- Add the cilantro and cook for 5 minutes.
- Prepare sterilized jars and carefully fill them with salsa. Prepare a water bath as per government canning guidelines, or eat fast and keep the salsa refrigerated.
Video
©PetersFoodAdventures.com
