There is no better way to use up fresh tomatoes than to make a big batch of salsa for the freezer. In addition to preserving and using up your tomatoes, this salsa can be easily defrosted in case you need a reminder of what tomatoes should taste like in the dead of winter.

This year, I used only Celebrity tomatoes for this whole batch. These tomatoes are always loaded with fruit, especially towards the end of the summer heading into fall.

There was a lot of trial and error involved in making the perfect salsa recipe. First, I roasted all of the tomatoes and was left with a spicy tomato sauce, which was delicious, but not what I had in mind. I then left the tomatoes raw. The end result was tasty, but again, but more watery than what I’d had in mind.

And then it hit me… roast half of the tomatoes and leave the other half raw. The end result has the perfect flavor and consistency, perfect both for tortilla chips and spoons.

Freezer Salsa

Recipe by Renaissance DanCourse: CondimentCuisine: Mexican, AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

20

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Calories

50

kcal

Ingredients

• 20-25 slicing tomatoes, such as “Celebrity”, quartered with stems removed

• 3 jalapeños, seeded* and diced

• 1 large red onion, chopped

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 3 limes, juiced

• 1 tbsp cumin

• salt to taste (around 3 tsp)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a cookie sheet with foil.
• Place about half of the tomatoes, jalapeños, and onions on a foil-lined baking sheet. Set the rest aside.
• Drizzle olive oil over the baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to caramelize.
• Let roasted veggies cool completely to room temperature.
• In a large mixing bowl, add roasted veggies and the remaining raw vegetables. Squeeze in the lime and season with the salt and cumin.
• Using an immersion blender, blend until big chunks have disappeared. I like leaving some texture, but feel free to blend until completely smooth.
• Enjoy right away, or pour into 4 quart sized ziplocks and place flat in the freezer to save space. Use within 4-5 months.

Notes

• If you like things spicy, leave the seeds in. The jalapeños I was using are “Jalafuego” from my garden, which are already spicier than an average jalapeño.