Deore Salsa

According to something I read one time, salsa is only second to ketchup as the most popular condiment in America. On the face of it, this statistic actually gives me hope. America is not really known for its good taste -- ketchup IS the number one condiment after all. I think America would be a cooler place to live if the number 1, or even number 3 slot was something like peperoncinis or stone ground mustard or horseradish or those pickled asparagus spears you see in the condiment isle. So, looking closer at salsa, you'll find that 95%, and this is a real figure, falls into the "absolute junk" category of food. That is, most prepared salsas that you buy at the store or are served at fast-foody/corporate restaurants are mainly water, tomato product, and some derivative of corn sweetener. Sound familiar? That's what most ketchup is too!

There's a great recipe in Joy of Cooking for roasted tomatillio salsa. I think that's one of my favorites. Another favorite is by Diane Kennedy: her salsa cruda. Good stuff. Before I had a daughter I would do things like make roasted tomatillio salsa. Now I must prioritize what I do with my slivers of spare time -- bike ride or fuss with tomatillos?

So, my wife and I have been begrudgingly buying salsa for the last 4 years or so. Until very recently, we figured store-bought salsa falls into 3 camps:

1. The 95% crud camp. This stuff is enticing because it's so cheap. But it sucks. We made a rule about a year ago that was basically, if the ingredient list has water OR any kind of sugar/corn syrup, then it's not allowed. What's the point? Just get ketchup.

2. Fresh store-bought salsa -- typically this turns out really watery. It’s also too expensive; around $4 or $5 for a little container (typically 8oz; so we’re looking at about $9/lb). So it's a crap shoot. And for our tastes, it's always too mild -- as in, not spicy. So you end up eating it up in a single sitting. We like a bit of kick to our salsa.

3. Good stuff. No water. No corn syrup. There are about 3 or 4 of these out there. My favorite is “Arriba! Medium Red Salsa,” and it's the only mass-produced salsa on the face of the planet, as far as I can tell, that calls a "Medium" a true "Medium." There is some spice to that Medium. Great stuff. But also too expensive, at the rate we go through it ($4/lb).

So, to the heart of the matter: we have recently discovered a 4th type of salsa. This is where we have beat the man. We've finally beat the system: Muir Glenn Fire Roasted Tomatoes with Chilis. That's it. In the canned tomato section. They're organic, they're roasted, there's chili's in there.

The cost: about $2.50 per pound.

What's not to love?

Out of the can, this is not as good as my favorite, but it beats option #1 easily, and its value so great, that it gives #2 a good run for the money too. If you want to get fancy, buy some cilantro and you're golden. If you really want to get crazy, dice up some red onions or mince some garlic, throw in some diced jalapeños, a squirt of lime, and a dash of salt. Even with all that fancy stuff, you’re well under $3/lb and it’s a quick preparation time.

So is saving a buck a pound really worth it? Liza and I like to think of this kind of saving over the long run. Assume, between the two of us, we eat one pound of salsa a week. This saves us a buck a week. Now think lifetime: $50/year; $500/decade; $2000 over 40 years! That's good money! But really, it's bragging rights. Plus, if you make a bunch of little decisions like this across all of the places you spend money regularly, this stuff adds up dangit!