A garden fresh salsa just sounds good, doesn’t it? Have you ever tried using banana peppers in your salsa recipes before? Banana peppers offer a new and interesting ingredient to traditional salsas. It’s that ingredient your guests will be asking about. Questions like, “why is this salsa recipe so freaking wonderful?” #bananapeppers
What are banana peppers, how would you describe them?
The banana pepper (also known as the yellow wax pepper or banana chili) is a medium-sized member of the chili pepper family that has a mild, tangy taste. While typically bright yellow, it is possible for them to change to green, red, or orange as they ripen. It is often pickled, stuffed, or used as a raw ingredient in foods. It is a cultivar of the species Capsicum annuum. Its flavor is not very hot (0–500 Scoville units) and, as is the case with most peppers, its heat depends on the maturity of the pepper, with the ripest being sweeter than younger ones.
Chef Tip: Chile peppers with curved stems are hotter than peppers that have straight stems
Image Below – Garden Fresh Banana Pepper Salsa Ingredients
Uncle Bobby’s Garden Fresh Banana Pepper Salsa
In all fairness to my Uncle Bobby, this post is an interpretation of his salsa.
One of the coolest things about garden fresh salsa is the creativity and all the possibilities. You do not need to have a garden to cook with garden fresh ingredients. The trick is to work with seasonal ingredients to maximize flavor. Lucky for us, grocery stores are awesome nowadays. Shop seasonal…At the time of writing this article, it is mid-summer, and grocery produce is pumping out some of the best stuff of the year.
Uncle Bobby Working In The Garden
Below: Uncle Bobby in the kitchen with the freshest of fresh ingredients for today’s garden fresh salsa.
Watch Our How-To Video Below
Fresh Garden ingredients my mother posted on Instagram the other day.
Quick History of Salsa
The term “salsa” was indeed coined by the Spanish, the condiment is known as “salsa” has been around long before the Spanish were exposed to it. Going as far back as 3000 BC, the Aztecs took chilies with tomatoes or tomatillos and combined them to produce salsa.
When was the Spanish introduced to Salsa?
After they conquered the Aztecs (1519-1521), the Spanish only then came to know and love salsa.
Some say it was the conquistadores who first called it salsa.
Others say it was a Spanish priest and missionary named Alonso de Molina who named it in 1571.
Garden Fresh Banana Pepper Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 Banana Peppers
- 2 Jalapenos
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 6 Tomatoes
- 12 Cherry Tomatoes
- 1/2 large Onion
- 1/2 medium Red Onion
- 1 or 2 Limes
- 2 tsp Sea Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp Cilantro
Instructions
- Take half of the ingredients and give them a few chops to help the food processor out.
- Add to food processor and pulse. Make sure to not over pulse. You still want texture. If you over pulse the salsa will turn pink.
- Remove from food processor and place in a strainer over a bowl to drain off excess water.
- Chop the other half of the ingredients to a nice mouthfeel size for salsa.
Cooking Salsa
- Yes, cooking the salsa, but only a small bit of it. You certainly could cook all of it.
- Take half of the puree mix from the strainer and add to a small pot and turn on the heat to med-high and cook for 4 to 6 minutes. You're looking for water to cookout and tighten up. This develops the sugars in the peppers and tomatoes and creates a deeper richer flavor profile. Combine all ingredients and then add in your salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro.
- Serve with tortilla chips
Video
Uncle Bobby's Garden Fresh Salsa
Notes
Serranos
Mangos
Pineapple Garnish - Avocado
Reader Interactions
Comments
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Shawn Neubauer
Can you can this without vinegar? Is there enough acid?
Steven Pennington
You could easily skip the “Lime” if you like. The addition of Lime brings a touch of extra freshness/acid. If you don’t like Lime you could try orange juice, or really any fresh juice that has acid. Hope you enjoy!
Sarah L Pelkey
This recipe sounds great! I have all the fresh ingredients from my garden. I want to make this salsa. Is it ok to freeze or can this, I plan on making a large amount?
Steven Pennington
Great question | Yes, freeze away. The trick to freezing for a few months is having enough fat to (encapsulate/preserve). Otherwise> the longer freeze times> you’ll get freezer burn. (Overly frosty ice crystals) I would suggest making the salsa, puree the salsa, bag the salsa (ZipLock((-fill-pretty full) (2nd, using a larger(freeze bag) place the salsa in the larger bag and fill the remaining bag with water. Then into the freezer. The water will freeze and create a stronger protection environment around the garden salsa for longer storage.
Arlene
How much cilantro? The recipe doesn’t say.
Steven Pennington
Thank you for the information. Sorry about that. I suggest using 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons. The idea with the Cilantro is to add a pop of additional freshness. Enjoy!
Janet
Have you ever canned it for use later
If so how long in pressure canner
Steven Pennington
Cannot say I’ve tried that. I do know the texture would be much softer. There would be a small amount of fermentation in flavor development. Overall, canning would be creating a new product. Not salsa. I’m interested. If you do give it a go, please come back and share your findings/experiment.
Jennifer Cook
Thanks for the suggestion of cooking down the “juice”. I’ll try it. We have the ingredients coming in from the garden now.