When you get taco truck catering, your salsa comes in little to-go containers. At the grocery store, you’ll find it in every size and shape jar. At your favorite Mexican food restaurant, it comes to the table served with hot fresh chips. A fresh and delicious condiment, salsa originated in Mexico but is incredibly popular in the United States.
Salsa means “sauce” in Spanish. Salsa refers both to a sauce served as a condiment and as part of a dish. In English, “salsa” describes a tomato and chili sauce that is served as an appetizer before meals, usually with tortilla chips. Let’s take a look at the popular salsas served all over Mexico.
Salsa Ranchera
This is probably the house salsa that your favorite Mexican food restaurant serves. Tomatoes, onion, garlic, and charred green chilies make up its robust flavor. Salsa Ranchera usually calls for serrano peppers. This salsa is blended together to make a loose sauce that goes great with chips or as a condiment.
Salsa de Tomate Verde
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Where you find red salsa, you can usually find green salsa too. Another name for this salsa is Green Tomato Salsa or Tomatillo Salsa. Tomatillos are a fruit that resembles a small green tomato with papery skin. To use tomatillos to make salsa verde they first need to be cooked and reduced into a paste that makes the base of this salsa.
Pico de Gallo
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This salsa is also known as fresh, raw, or Mexican Salsa. Raw ingredients in this recipe create punchy flavor and offer a crispy texture. The consistency is closer to a chunky relish than a loose sauce. This salsa is made from tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and peppers, but these ingredients are just the start.
There is a huge range of pico de gallo recipes that feature bright flavors and colorful ingredients. Fruits like peaches and pineapples are at home in pico de gallo recipes. Crunchy vegetables like jicama and corn are also great additions.
Regional Salsas
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While some salsas are found all over Mexico, some are limited to a local area. This can be based on ingredient availability, local chef influence, or tradition. Here are some regional salsas from Mexico to explore.
Salsa de Chile de Arbol
This is a very spicy salsa from the Mexican state of Jalisco. The number of Arbol chilies added changes the heat level. A standard recipe calls for just a few Arbol chilies, and an extra hot recipe will call for more. This recipe is also an example of why removing the seeds from your chilies is very important. If they are left in, they greatly influence how spicy your salsa will be.
Salsa de Chile Guajillo
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This salsa is named from the guajillo chilies that flavor it. It is from the Michoacan state of Mexico. It makes a great salsa to put on meats, especially in tacos. Guajillo chilies are dried and are one of the most popular peppers to use for cooking in Mexico.
Salsa de Jitomate de Yucateca
This salsa originates from, you guessed it, the Yucatan peninsula region of Mexico. It is a tomato-based salsa that features spicy habanero chilies. Don’t worry though, for how spicy they are, habanero chilies are quite sweet too!
What kinds of salsa can I get from taco truck catering?
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Is your mouth watering? Are you ready to try a whole variety of salsas? There’s an art and a style to how different people in Mexico make their salsas. The best thing you can do is to try different types to find out what food trucks and restaurants are in your area.
Salsas can be as unique as the person making them. Different regions have individual influences on flavor and technique, and there are endless varieties to try. Seek out a local vendor that provides homemade salsa to see what they have to offer.
