Fermented Salsa
Nothing beats a good fermented salsa! Adding a short fermentation process to your salsa adds a zing to your recipe that brings your normal salsa up to a whole new level. This fermented salsa recipe is one you’ll definitely love. Once you ferment your salsa, it’s hard to go back!
I used an airlock in making this recipe but you could use whatever method you feel most comfortable with. Since you won’t be able to submerge all the ingredients (since there isn’t a brine separate from the salsa ingredients, it’s best to use an airlock, or for large batches, a fermenting crock with a water moat at the top
The salsa came out perfectly tangy and tasty. It’s so simple to ferment using an airlock. Here’s a link for some airlocks which I like which fit on mason jars.
Honestly, this was some of the best salsa I’ve ever eaten.
You can use this simple fermentation process with almost any salsa you make so feel free to get as creative as you like. As always, trust your own senses when it comes to ferments.
I also waited until I was almost done eating it and then packed the jar again with more tomatoes, peppers, onions, some cilantro, and got it started again, using some of the active culture to quickly inoculate the next batch. Yum!
Other articles of interest:
Why Everyone Should Ferment with an Airlock
What Equipment and Supplies Should I Use for Fermenting?
Fermented Salsa
Add some healthy probiotic zing to your salsa by fermenting it for a few days.
Ingredients
- 1 pint golden cherry tomatoes
- 5 green onions
- 1/4cup cilantro
- Juice of 2 limes
- 1 small green pepper (or several small padrone peppers), cut into small chunks
- Small amount of other pepper for additional heat if desired (jalapeno or other)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 Tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse and gently clean the ingredients
- Prepare the ingredients - cut the cherry tomatoes in half; cut the green onions into small discs; remove cilantro stems and cut leaves if desired; juice the limes; cut green pepper or padrone peppers into small chunks; dice the garlic cloves
- Combine ingredients - Combine all ingredients and place them into a mason jar – I used a 1 1/2 pint size jar but it will look like this if you try to fit it into a 1 pint size jar.
- Attach Airlock- Attach an airlock to the top. There are many available, but I enjoy using this one (different than the one pictured below)
- Wait impatiently - Wait 3-5 days and enjoy. You’ll notice a nice tang to the salsa when it’s ready.
- Attach lid and refrigerate
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: 1/4 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 18.98Total Fat: 0.16gSaturated Fat: 0.03gSodium: 186.91mgCarbohydrates: 4.85gFiber: 1.42gSugar: 1.89gProtein: 0.81g
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Hi Ted,
Where did you get the airlock/cap set up for the salsa ferment you pictured above, please?
I wrote a post here https://www.fermentationrecipes.com/ferment-airlock/889 which has some links in it.
OOOOOH — just found it on your site ! Thank you! — R
I live in FL and we have abundant nopale cactus to forage, so whenever it comes time to make salsa, I always add a bunch for their economy, health benefits (great for blood sugar) and amazing thickening capacity. I know some people think they are slimy (like okra) but in salsa they can compensate even for watery tomatoes by giving the ferment more body and blend great with the other ingredients flavor wise. I used to use tomatillos but have just replaced them with the nopales. The price is right!
Vege-tater, The nopale cactus sounds good. How much of the nopale cactus do you use in a pint or quart of salsa? Thanks.
I am new at this, but a newbe question, how will this last, time wise?
Ferments will keep for a very long time as long as you refrigerate them. The refrigeration process cools the ferment and significantly slows the fermentation activity. Fermentation, among many other things, is used as a method of preservation, as the increased lactic acid in the ferment helps to preserve the underlying ingredients. Unless your ferment gets moldy, it’s probably good. It will continue to sour over time, so in many respects the length of viability of a ferment is more of a question of taste. Good luck!
My friend ferments the Sally Fallon way, putting her ferments in a mason jar with a lid on and leaves it without opening in her storage room until she is ready to use it, sometimes years later. She has had only a couple go bad. I am more hesitant and would like to use an airlock or crock to ferment but how would I move it and store long term in my storage instead of my fridge? Wouldn’t it introduce air when I remove he airlock and place a lid on it?
Do you always keep your ferments in the fridge?
I always refrigerate my ferments once they are ready for consumption so I don’t have much advice for you. I’ll try to learn more about the Sally Fallon Nourishing Traditions method you are referring to.
Is this safe?
The lime juice helps to lower the pH which supports food safety. As it ferments, the pH drops yet lower. The salt helps prevent some unwanted microorganism growth and the airlock helps prevent unwanted microbes from entering the ferment. The fermentation process lowers the pH as well. As I always say though, your senses need to be your best guide, so if something looks, smells, tastes “off,” best to use precaution.
can you use bottled lime juice or dried cilantro in this recipe?
Bottled lime juice would be just fine. I’m a big fan of fresh cilantro in salsa but I’m sure dried would work fine.
I’ve made this once and it was delicious. I used my fermentation crock and let it go about 5-days. One addition I made was to add some roasted peppers.
Ooh, roasted peppers in the salsa sounds wonderful!
I’ve been making this non-stop! Gets eaten quickly every time. Also tried your pepper sauce ferment, which was wonderful. New addition to the salsa recipe (still using roasted peppers) is some fresh peaches. Added an interesting flavor. The other thing I’ve been doing is once the fermentation seems right, I like to put it in the food processor to get it a little less chunky. One last note – I’ve made in both my fermentation crock and a mason jar with an airlock device. It’s really cool to see the bubbles in the mason jar!
Thanks Tim. Sounds like you’re really grooving with your ferments!
The top picture has a smoother consistency than the other recipe pictures. Did you use a blender or just finely chop the ingredients? If a blender was used, when was it applied? Before fermentation or just for presentation?
If pH is 4.2 or lower refrigeration isn’t needed
hello Ted, thanks for the simple and healthy recipe and well-done too. Something else has also caught my attention and fancy in the 6th frame in your above write-up. Its the brownish-grey and thin cracker -like edibles pasetries i see scattered round the plate of the salsa. Am quite interested in knowing the recipe for those too to complete my knowledge about this recipe. thanks
Those are simply tortilla chips! Store bought, though I have been making fresh tortillas from masa lately which is fun and xx xx