A fresh, smooth salsa built in the food processor — a liquefied base of jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lemon, with tomatoes pulsed in for body. Two versions: a summer batch with sweet garden cherry tomatoes and fresh add-ins, and a year-round winter batch with Roma tomatoes. Smooth enough to ride a chip, textured enough to taste homemade.
VeganGluten-FreeDairy-FreeSpicy
Best for: chips and dipping, taco night, or alongside the queso. Makes a medium batch. The summer version is the better one when garden tomatoes are in; the winter version carries it the rest of the year. Better after an hour in the fridge.
Marcus's Garden Salsa — Recipe
Prep
10 min
Rest
1 hr+
Cook
None
Makes
~3–4 cups
Equipment
Food processor
Ingredients
Base (both versions)
3 jalapeños (red garden jalapeños are even better — see notes)
½ medium red onion
5–6 cloves garlic
1 generous handful fresh cilantro
Juice from ½ lemon (or a generous squeeze of bottled)
1 pinch salt
2–3 shakes Worcestershire sauce
Tortilla chips, for serving
Summer version (the better one)
Cherry tomatoes (in place of Roma) — no added sugar; they're already sweet
Optional garden add-ins: green onions (white parts only), chives
Winter version (year-round)
6–7 medium Roma tomatoes
2 pinches sugar (to make up for less-sweet winter tomatoes)
Summer version (the better one)
Reserve a small handful of cherry tomatoes and set aside.
Add the jalapeños, red onion, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, Worcestershire, and any garden add-ins (white parts of green onion, chives) to the food processor — no sugar; the cherry tomatoes are sweet enough.
Process until smooth and almost liquefied — this is the flavor base.
Add the rest of the cherry tomatoes and pulse just until it reaches the consistency you want: smooth enough to sit on a chip, not fully liquid. Add the reserved tomatoes near the end if you want a little more texture.
Taste and adjust — a little more salt, lemon, or Worcestershire as needed.
Winter version (year-round)
Reserve one Roma tomato and roughly chop it.
Add the reserved tomato, jalapeños, red onion, garlic, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, sugar, and Worcestershire to the food processor.
Process until completely smooth and almost liquefied — the flavor base.
Cut the remaining Romas into large chunks, add them, and pulse just until the salsa reaches the consistency you want.
Taste and adjust — salt, sugar, lemon, or Worcestershire as needed.
Summer is the better version
When the garden's producing, make the summer batch: cherry tomatoes are sweeter and more intense than Romas, so you skip the sugar entirely and let the tomatoes carry it. Fresh garden add-ins — the white parts of green onion, a little chives — round it out. The winter version with Romas and a pinch of sugar is the year-round stand-in, and it's still good; summer is just better.
Red jalapeños
A jalapeño that's ripened red on the plant is sweeter and fuller in flavor than a green one — if you've got one (or more) from the garden, use them. They bring a rounder heat than green jalapeños.
Notes from experience
The two-stage process is the trick either way: liquefy the aromatics into a base, then pulse the tomatoes in just enough for texture. For the winter version, Roma tomatoes are worth seeking out — less water than slicing tomatoes, so the salsa holds on a chip instead of going watery.
Make-ahead
Refrigerate at least an hour before serving so the flavors marry — noticeably better than straight from the processor. Keeps several days; it may need a stir and a taste-adjust before serving.
Dietary note
Naturally dairy-free and gluten-free — tagged conditional on GF only because Worcestershire can contain malt vinegar/barley; check the label or use a GF Worcestershire. On the vegan tag: most Worcestershire contains anchovies, so for a strictly vegan salsa use a vegan Worcestershire or leave it out. Serve with corn tortilla chips to keep it gluten-free.
