Simple Salsa with Serrano Peppers

Appetizers, hot and spicy are the way I enjoy peppers most. That is the main reason peppers is one of the first things I planted in my new garden. I planted three types of peppers, Chili, Jalapeno, and Serrano peppers. The Serrano peppers were the first to ripen for harvesting.

I made space in my garden for peppers that I picked up from the home improvement store. I picked one each of Chili, Jalapeno, and Serrano peppers. They looked hearty planted in the sunniest area of my garden. I took really good care of them, watching them, watering them, fertilizing them, and cutting off any dead leaves. Fortunately, peppers are not prone to garden pests, so I was able to let them grow naturally by themselves. And, without a lot of fuss, in just a little over two and a half months later I was harvesting the first set of peppers – Serrano peppers. You should have seen the joy on my face as I plucked the beautiful green peppers and brought them indoors. Of course, I had to take plenty of pictures before chopping them up to serve in a dish I knew I would enjoy.

I didn’t want to make a complicated meal. I was anxious to try the pepper as soon as possible. Salsa was the dish that came to mind. But, I wanted a simple salsa so that I could really taste the pepper.

This simple and easy salsa recipe allows you to taste the true flavor of the pepper. The other ingredients are traditional ingredients that go into a basic salsa recipe. They don’t overpower the pepper, in fact they showcase the pepper.

I give the pepper all the glory in this simple salsa with Serrano pepper recipe.

The salsa can be used as a dip for tortilla chips, mixed with avocado to make guacamole, or simply use it as a condiment for Mexican dishes.

When hot isn't good enough, you can spice it up a little by adding a little sauce to the mix. I like the flavor of Tapatio Hot Sauce. This isn't yo' mama's hot sauce. It's hot and and it's spicy, as it should be, so be careful with this one.

Taste as you go. Just sprinkle a few drops into the salsa mixture, mix it in, then taste. A few drops (three to four) may be good enough to enhance the Simple Salsa With Serrano Peppers. But, if you seek more heat and spice, continue adding a couple of drops at a time until you get the heat and flavor you desire.

Es picante! Translation... it's spicy!

An alternative way to make the salsa is to just throw all of the ingredients into a food processor and let the processor do all the work. Sometimes, I put everything into a Magic Bullet and pulse everything a few times to get a medium chopped consistency.

You can substitute lemon juice or lime juice for the vinegar. The idea is that you provide some sort of tart flavor to the salsa mixture.

All-in-all, there is not really a strict rule for making salsa. You can chop or mince the ingredients. I happen to like some things chopped and some things minced. In this recipe, I wanted the heat from the pepper in every bite, so I minced it.

The truth is, however you like the consistency of certain flavors will determine how you prepare them. For instance, I don’t like huge chunks of garlic. But, if you want a robust garlic flavor, by all means, chop instead of mince. The key to making this salsa recipe is to mix everything together and enjoy it.

I like it hot, so I include the seeds when I make my salsa, however if you need to tone down the heat from the Serrano pepper, remove the seeds before mincing the pepper.