Winter Fruit Salsa Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to salsa to make it spicier? ›

Cayenne peppers add scalding red heat to your salsa. Historically used for medicinal purposes, these peppers are often used in a powdered form and appreciated for their various health benefits. This has made them a convenient and popular method to increase the heat of salsas.

If fresh, a high acid level (from lemon or lime juice, or vinegar) can reduce the heat, but will also stabilize it. It also depends on what type of chiles you use. Thick-walled jalapeños are watery, and their osmosis can change the heat level over time. Thin-walled habaneros, OTOH, contribute less water and more heat.

It would be easier to make a fresh batch of salsa than doctor a store bought one to taste like homemade. If you do insist on “fixing" it, try using cilantro, cumin, and some lime juice. For heat, add jalapeno. The only difference between this fix and a fresh batch is the garlic, onion, and tomato.

Adding acid and sweetness are well known ways to tame a spicy dish. Try squeezing in the juice of a quarter lime and a half teaspoon of sugar or honey. Remember you can always add more, so mix in additional flavors little by little and taste as you go.

Leave the seeds and membranes in the jalapeño—the spice level is just right. Or if your hot head, feel free to add more, but beware—the salsa will get hotter as it sits. Cumin, cilantro, and lime juice add flavor and freshness to the mix. A tiny bit of sugar and salt balance the whole thing out.

Cool Down Too-Spicy: Salsa

For red-based salsas, add more tomato, if possible, or add finely chopped cucumber, avocado, fresh leafy herbs, mango, melon or oranges. A touch of honey or sugar may also help.

Blandness usually comes from lack of seasoning. When you prepare a dish like spaghetti sauce you want to season as you go, not just at the end. Salt enhances the flavor of foods as well as performs some important functions during cooking, like drawing moisture out of ingredients and intensifying their flavor.

Use Dried or Ground Spices

You can usually find them in the form of mild paprika, chili powder, or crushed red pepper to name a few, which are normally made from a variety of peppers like ancho, bell and cayenne.

Bring up the heat with chilis

You can customize the heat by using something with a low Scoville spice scale like a Padron chile or seeded jalapeño, but you could move up on the scale with serrano, habanero, or simply integrate more chilis into the mix. It's also a beautiful way to add a sprinkle of color to your salsa.