Don't Make The Mistake Of Choosing The Wrong Tomatoes For Your Salsa
Making your own homemade salsa can be as simple as chopping up the ingredients and adding them to a jar — or tossing them all in the blender if you prefer a smoother consistency. But when you're choosing what to add to the salsa, you'll want to make sure you're choosing the right tomatoes.
There are a few varieties that are preferable for mixing up some salsa. Ideally, you should be choosing tomatoes that are flavorful and juicy. Plum tomatoes have fewer seeds than other tomato varieties, making them a great choice for salsas. Roma tomatoes are actually a variety of plum tomatoes, characterized by their fleshy interior and grainy texture, and can also be optimal.
If you want an extra juicy texture for your salsa, try adding in some of the beefsteak variety. These large tomatoes are pretty versatile, but their thick, fleshy interiors make them great for dicing up and using in salsas. Additionally, any vine-ripened tomatoes are an excellent selection. These aren't a specific tomato variety. Instead, they are tomatoes that have been allowed to remain on the vine just a little longer than normal. The method is said to give the tomatoes a better taste and texture.
Which tomatoes should you avoid?
Even if you like your salsa a little thicker, you'll still want a little bit of liquid in the mix. After all, you don't want the condiment to feel more like a salad. For this reason, you'll want to avoid adding any cherry tomatoes into the mix. Though cherry tomatoes may be quick and easy to slice up, they might not have enough liquid to make the best salsa. Instead, they're arguably better off being used in a pico de gallo.
Heirloom tomatoes are also a less-than-ideal choice. The vivid fruits may be delicious when sliced up as burger toppings or tossed into a salad, but they don't hold up as well in salsas. Heirloom tomatoes typically have quite a few seeds inside and high moisture content. Those seeds can cause the moisture to be drawn out, which can make the salsa's consistency pretty watery. While this could make the condiment pretty saucy, it might also be lacking that essential tomato flavor.
There are a few reasons some tomatoes are better than others
While any tomatoes you have on hand can work in a pinch, carefully choosing the perfect ones to make your homemade salsa can help ensure the best outcome. When it comes down to it, you may even find you have specific preferences when it comes to preferred tomato varieties. If you're worried about texture, plum tomatoes are a little more firm and make for a crunchier bite, while beefsteak tomatoes are softer and squishier.
Sweetness and acidity also play an important role in picking the right tomatoes to use. If you want some sweetness to balance out the spiciness of jalapeno peppers, you may want to reach for those romas. Beefsteak varieties can have a sweeter flavor as well.
If you want that extra spicy acidic bite, however, you'll want to dice up some tomatoes that have a little less sweetness and a little more acid. Plum tomatoes tend to have more of an acidic flavor, and can give your salsa the bite you're looking for. No matter what your personal preferences are when it comes to homemade salsa, make sure you're paying attention to the ideal varieties for your food.