Fresh Fermented Salsa Recipe (2024)

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I am not canning any of my salsa this year, but don’t worry! I’m still putting fresh salsa up. I’m just making this fermented salsa recipe instead! Fermenting is the only form of food preservation that actually increases the nutritional profile of your food.

Why I love Fermenting

One of the beautiful things about fermenting is if you only have a small number of tomatoes for a few jars, say at the end of the season, you don’t have to heat up the kitchen or spend a lot of time with canning them.

Fermenting gives you this wonderful array of probiotics and raw nutrients. In its raw form, it provides the added benefit of good bacteria, which is good for your health and gut. Learn more about the health benefits of fermentation here.

What I also love about this recipe is that, through fermentation, the initial bite of raw onions and garlic are minimized, making these two ingredients much more enjoyable in their raw form.

Why Salt is So Important in Fermenting

In canning, salt is optional. For fermenting, salt is necessary. Salt is what inhibits bad bacterial growth while good bacteria can multiply.

It also helps prevent mold growth.

Learn more about the basics of fermenting vegetables here.

How Long Will My Salsa Keep?

You can keep your salsa in cold storage – a refrigerator or a root cellar/basem*nt if kept at 50 degrees or less. For long-term storage, the upper 30s and 40s work best.
It will last for months and even up to a year and a half in the fridge.

Watching for Mold

Most people make the mistake of throwing out perfectly good food when they see anything form on the top of their food.

While mold is terrible, Kahm Yeast is wonderful. Read this post on how to spot kahm yeast here to know the difference between the two.

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Fermented Salsa Recipe

Supplies Needed to Ferment Salsa

• Food processor – this is optional, but it sure speeds up the process.
• Cutting board – to prep the veggies before putting them into the food processor.
• Knife – also for prepping the veggies before putting them into the food processor.
• Two 1 1/2 pint jars (or one pint and one quart jar) – you’ll want your jars washed well in hot soapy water, then rinsed completely so no soapy residue remains as this can inhibit the fermenting process.
• Funnel – no one likes to make a mess in the kitchen!
• Fermenting weights – these will help keep the ferment under the liquid of the brine, preventing mold.
• Air Lock Lids – these can be any kind of fermenting lid, whether a Pickle Pro, an airlock lid, or, if you don’t have access to these, just a plastic Mason jar lid will work as well. Don’t use a two-piece canning lid as the pressure of the ferment can build up and cause the jar to break.

Ingredients Needed for this Fermented Salsa Recipe

• Ten Roma tomatoes – any tomatoes will do, this just happens to be what we had ripe in the garden. You’ll want about 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes for this recipe.
• Onion – Red, yellow, sweet, the choice is yours!
• Bell Pepper – I like adding bell peppers to my salsa. For this fermented salsa, it helps keep some bite to the finished product as vegetables tend to soften up during the fermentation process.
• Jalapeno – if you like spicier, go for the whole jalapeno. I’m only adding half for this recipe. You could also leave the seeds for added heat.
• Garlic – more garlic is always better in my opinion! Scale to your preference.
• Cumin – This gives the salsa that classic Mexican flavor!
• Cilantro – This is optional. I know some people don’t care for the flavor of cilantro. Our family loves it, so we’ll use it in this recipe.
• Fresh or bottled lime juice – This adds a great flavor after the salsa has fermented. It’s optional, but definitely recommended.
• Redmond Red Salt – It may seem like a lot of salt for this recipe, but remember that this is a ferment, and salt is necessary for a safe fermentation.

See Also

30 Historical Recipes With Apricot Kernels, Peach Kernels & Cherry Pits - Sew Historically50+ Green Tomato RecipesCherries in wine: a recipehuckleberry jam recipe – use real butter

Fermented Salsa Directions

1. Start by putting the tomatoes into the food processor and pulsing until chopped. You don’t want to liquefy them.

2. Pull out any large chunks of tomato and cut them up to your desired size. Pour the tomatoes into a large bowl.

3. Put the rest of the vegetables in the food processor and pulse until chopped to your desired consistency.

4. Add the rest of the chopped veggies into the bowl with the tomatoes

5. Add the cumin and mix well.

6. Some people like cilantro, and some don’t, so add the cilantro if you choose.

7. Add the optional fresh or bottled lime juice and stir again.

8 And finally, add Redmond Red Salt. I use this salt for everything because it has no iodine, no anti-caking agents, and no other added ingredients.

9. Use a funnel to pour salsa into jars, leaving enough room for the fermentation weight and about a half inch of headspace.

10. Add the fermentation weights into the jars and push the solids well beneath the liquid line. Adjust by adding or removing some of the salsa to ensure you have a half inch of headspace. This will allow for space for the fermenting bubbling to take place.

Bubbling is suitable and means things are happening, but you don’t want your salsa to overflow, so leaving a space at the top of the jar helps with this.

11. Add your fermentation lid and let your salsa sit at room temperature for three days. If you’re nervous about the liquid spilling out of the top of the jar, you can always set your jars on a plate.

Pro Tip: The warmer the room, the faster your salsa will ferment. Taste your salsa after three days and if it tastes great, move it to long-term cold storage.

You can consolidate your salsa to one jar and use plastic lids to store in the refrigerator. Still, make sure the solid is kept beneath the liquid.

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