The Least Wretched Bottled Salsa

Published on Wednesday, October 10, 2007, by Sarah Perry / Edit Post

Of course homemade salsa is going to be better than bottled or canned, especially if you’re looking to serve the chunky pico de gallo kind. Chop up some tomatoes, white onions, and chiles, and there you have it. But for those of us who can’t be bothered to perform the most rudimentary culinary tasks, there are a few bottled salsas that aren’t totally inedible.

Salsa Casera by Herdez is a favorite among Chowhounds. Its flavor profile is closest to the table salsas found in Tex-Mex restaurants in Texas, says aelph. It’s juicy, salty, and spicy, with tomato flavor that doesn’t in any way resemble ketchup. It stops just short of being pico de gallo.

Many Chowhounds like Green Mountain Gringo salsa, full of different types of chiles and herbs plus apple cider vinegar and sea salt. The medium is plenty hot for Gio. Also try the roasted garlic flavor.

Costco Garden Fresh salsa in the big plastic jug is very fresh-tasting, says coney with everything. It comes in five-gallon buckets to satisfy your more extensive salsa requirements.

Trader Joe’s makes some salsas that are not too bad. The Habanero and Lime salsa in a jar is really good, says mojoeater. Densible likes the Salsa Especial in the cold case, a finely chopped mix of tomato, chiles, cilantro, and lime juice.

MeffaBabe likes Newman’s Own pineapple salsa. And embee likes Neal Brothers organic salsa, which comes in different flavors that range from decent to excellent.

Really, though. How hard is it to chop a tomato?

Board Link: Best bottled salsa?

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POST A COMMENT |9 Comments

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  • Check out Carrillo's Fire-Roasted Salsa, it's a product made by a Mexican-American family, and is absolutely fantastic! The hottest one, roasted habanero, has 7 different kinds of chiles in it.

  • Check this salsa out. great taste, wonderful spices, all natural
    zalsa.net

  • I second the Trader Joe's Habanero Lime Salsa- it is just amazing!!

  • I was deeply dissappointed by Frontera's Chipotle sauce... it certainly was a failure as a Table salsa... but used it successfully in a Calabacitas Guiso (although I had to add a bit of Chipotle adobo to counter balance the excessive sweetness & lack of heat).

    But really seeing the enthuasiasm for various bottled salsas on the original thread just makes me think that there are a lot of places...+READ

    I was deeply dissappointed by Frontera's Chipotle sauce... it certainly was a failure as a Table salsa... but used it successfully in a Calabacitas Guiso (although I had to add a bit of Chipotle adobo to counter balance the excessive sweetness & lack of heat).

    But really seeing the enthuasiasm for various bottled salsas on the original thread just makes me think that there are a lot of places in the U.S. that still haven't gotten restaurants with decent salsas.

    I decent salsa made from scratch is eons superior to the best bottled salsa.-COLLAPSE

  • Frontera's salsas are pretty awesome- both as a dip and as a sauce. I've taken thin-sliced, rare flank steak and simmered it in the green salsa- yum!

  • While tomatoes (really good ones)... always seem to be in season in Mexico... there really are times when they are scarce or tasteless they remind of tomatoes in California or New Jersey =).... then its time to make salsas from something OTHER than tomatoes. In fact.. most types of Salsas in Mexico do NOT have any tomatoes and are still sublime.

    Even if you live in place without access to...+READ

    While tomatoes (really good ones)... always seem to be in season in Mexico... there really are times when they are scarce or tasteless they remind of tomatoes in California or New Jersey =).... then its time to make salsas from something OTHER than tomatoes. In fact.. most types of Salsas in Mexico do NOT have any tomatoes and are still sublime.

    Even if you live in place without access to Tomatillos, Xoconostles... there are other things used to make good salsas for example... some roasted garlic, arbol chiles & toasted peanuts is a favorite with Southern Mexican style Carnitas... and I guess if you have to have chips... it would be quite good with some earthy heavy chips like the Flaxseed / Corn blend at Trader Joe's-COLLAPSE

  • I get fresh salsa at the grocery and then "fix" it with whatever I feel like, more lime juice, fresh cilantro, more peppers whatever...

  • Correction: Garden Fresh salsa is MADE in 5 gallon buckets (it says so on the label). The Costco package is more like 1 gallon, which we go through pretty quickly because it's so good.

    And good point, briaberger! Tomatoes are going to SUCK in about 2 weeks. If I'm making salsa, I'm starting with a can of Rotels or Muir Glens fire roasted with chiles.

  • What about when tomatoes aren't in season? We get them for about two months here, then they fade away...