I couldn’t get enough of the fresh salsa we made a few weeks back, so I went for round two. It’s such a simple recipe, but is worlds beyond anything you can buy in a store:

Ingredients:
Ripe tomatoes (I like plum tomatoes the best; they’re usually pretty cheap and don’t have tons of seeds/pulp)
Onion (I prefer vidalia; sweet and not too over-powering)
Fresh Cilantro (absolutely key; dried doesn’t even come close)
Jalanpeños (2 or 3 sliced/diced/de-seeded)
Fresh Lime juice (limes are cheap and c’mon, it’s not that hard to squeeze your own)
Salt to taste
Optional ingredients: fresh ground black pepper, cumin, and granulated garlic
(I like to add a few pinches of each of these)

I don’t think I’ve ever measured out anything for this recipe. I’d say you want about 2-1 ratio of tomatoes to onions. The cilantro and other ingredients really depend on your tastes. Do you want it hotter? Add more Jalanpeños or kick it up a notch with habañeros instead (you can also use cayenne pepper if you don’t have fresh peppers). Add salt and lime to taste, but keep in mind that it needs to sit a nice 15-20 minutes to let the flavors combine. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

This is great for Spring/Summer pot luck parties, and it goes perfectly with a light beer w/ a lime wedge. The time this takes to make is far outweighed by the impression it can make on your friends. Enjoy.