Store bought salsa and chips

[Double 0]

Not including home made, what's you favorite brand? Mine are Golds hot for the salsa and Utz White Corn for the chips. The Golds has a slight sweetness that I like and can always be brought up to higher heat levels when I'm in the mood. I really like it on scrabbled eggs. The Utz chips are really salty and make a great matzo brie.

[tommy]

i discovered this summer what i think is called "silver palate." i'm blanking on the name. anyway, they make a really nice salsa for chips. goes over well with the masses. some might complain of too much sweetness, but i think they've hit a nice balance of smokey, sweet, and acidity. big flavor.

[snowangel]

For salsa, I really like Tejas -- Tejas is a local restaurant that sells their salsa in upscale grocery stores in Minneapolis. It's got the right blend of spicy, and has a very nice, smoky flavor.

Chips are hit and miss. They fry them up at one of the local Hispanic markets/deli and those are the best bet here.

[Spoonful]

The very best brand to my taste is Que Pasa

[Jaymes]

Herdez salsas are the number-one sellers in Mexico with reason. They are the best. Of course, here in Texas they are ubiquitous, but I have found them elsewhere in the States, including San Jose and Springfield MO. You can usually find them if you look hard enough. Anywhere that there is a large Mexican population, there will be a store selling Herdez brand. The best table salsa is Herdez Salsa Casera in jars. You can also find it in cans and it's good too. In addition to salsa casera, they make salsa ranchero (which I don't like as well but it's also very popular) and a fabulous salsa verde.

[snowangel]

Herdez salsas are the number-one sellers in Mexico with reason.  They are the best.

I had forgotton about Herdez -- actually not forgotten, because it is a staple in our kitchen. Diana and I can go through two of the cans of salsa verde in no time flat. I used to bring back cases of the stuff (cesara and verde) from California, but now I can even find it in our local Cub supermarket. We use the local Tejas when we want something a little different. I even cook with the Herdez stuff.

[bushey]

Green Mountain Gringo -- the tortilla strips and the fire-roasted salsa.

[Salsaman]

Someone mentioned green salsa. The best store bought salsa is the Tejano Salsa verde Hot or medium out of Texas. It has avocados.

[Shermar]

Pace Picante Sauce-Hot and Tostitos Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips.

Not esoteric but very good when the chips are down

[Holly Moore]

Check out the salsa and chips that bear the name of Fred Imus, Don Imus's brother. Surprising good considering it's heritage. Hard to find here in Philadelphia but fairly plentiful in NYC.

Fred Imus Salsa at Autobody Express

[201]

I just found this link which might be useful (if for no other reason than to list some of what's available).

Personally, I'm still searching for a "favorite" salsa, but I think the above link will help me in that quest!

[VinJean]

There is a local salsa made here in the Twin Cities that I like called Salsa Lisa. As far as store bought salsa goes, it is probably my favorite. They keep it in the refrigerator section of the supermarkets here, and it is just incredibly fresh and tasty, with a couple of different heat levels.

[Jason Perlow]

While not exactly tortilla chips, there are two corn-based snack chips from Mexico I have been eating lately, Taquis and Chipotles!, both from a Mexican company named Barcel. The Taquis are rolled up tortilla chips seasoned with taco seasonings with lime and jalapeno, and Chipotles! are like Fritos with Chipotle/Adobo seasoning. Both are pretty spicy.

[ChocoKitty]

My favorite: Garden Fresh Salsa (made in the Metro Detroit area). They make 15 different kinds of salsa (haven't tried them all yet) and wonderfully hefty, crunchy chips that make normal chips seem wimpy.

Here's their website:

Garden Fresh Salsa

Munch munch....

[SobaAddict70]

For chips, I prefer any plain or lime-enhanced stoneground white corn tortilla chips.

For salsa, I prefer to make my own (see below for a sample).

SA

-------------

plum tomatoes, halved and roasted

roasted garlic, peeled

yellow, Bermuda or Vidalia onions, chopped

EVOO

chipotle en adobo, chopped

poblano chiles, seeded and minced (to taste)

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

red wine vinegar

pinch of sugar

cilantro, chopped

Saute the onions in a little EVOO until the onions are translucent, season to taste with salt and pepper. In a blender, combine the roasted tomatoes and garlic with the onion mixture, pulse for thirty seconds to a minute, to blend. Add chipotle and poblano chiles, pulse but do not puree, so that the chiles retain a little texture. Add a splash of vinegar and a small pinch of sugar, mix thoroughly.

Fold in as much chopped fresh plum tomatoes as you like, add a sprinkle of cilantro. Refrigerate to allow flavors to develop, or serve immediately with chips.

[Jaymes]

Pace Picante Sauce-Hot and Tostitos Hint of Lime Tortilla Chips.

Not esoteric but very good when the chips are down   

Please note on the list of salsa ratings in 201's link that Pace only got a 3.

If you are in a locale where you are pretty-much restricted to large national brands, try Herdez Salsa Casera - medium or hot.

I strongly suspect you ain't gonna be going back to Pace.

[stellabella]

chips: Red Hot Blues, or Tostitos

salsa--depends. always prefer fresh if available.

[Suvir Saran]

For chips, I prefer any plain or lime-enhanced stoneground white corn tortilla chips.

For salsa, I prefer to make my own (see below for a sample).

SA

-------------

plum tomatoes, halved and roasted

roasted garlic, peeled

yellow, Bermuda or Vidalia onions, chopped

EVOO

chipotle en adobo, chopped

poblano chiles, seeded and minced (to taste)

salt and pepper, to taste

fresh plum tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped

red wine vinegar

pinch of sugar

cilantro, chopped

Saute the onions in a little EVOO until the onions are translucent, season to taste with salt and pepper.  In a blender, combine the roasted tomatoes and garlic with the onion mixture, pulse for thirty seconds to a minute, to blend.  Add chipotle and poblano chiles, pulse but do not puree, so that the chiles retain a little texture.  Add a splash of vinegar and a small pinch of sugar, mix thoroughly.

Fold in as much chopped fresh plum tomatoes as you like, add a sprinkle of cilantro.  Refrigerate to allow flavors to develop, or serve immediately with chips.

Thanks SA!

Sounds tasty even as I read it. Will certainly try it very soon.

[Malawry]

We're quite fond of the Santa Barbara Olive Company roasted garlic salsa in this household.

I've been trying different chips lately, trying to find a new standard. I think my favorite of the brands available at the natural foods coop where I shop is the Bearitos. It's a little oversalted for some people but I had a hard time keeping my paws off the bag. The bag is huge too, which is a real plus. I also like Trader Joe's chips. I don't mind the Guiltless Gourmet baked blue corn chips, but they go stale the instant you open them and even I can't eat a whole bag at one sitting...so they are a poor value.

[tigerwoman]

I like to make fresh salsa but add a bit of bottled to it.

eg

chopped tomatos

cilantro

red onions

hot sauce

bottled salsa

other possible additions

black beans

finely chopped pineapple - this is great for overripe pineapple that is still good but not pretty

avocado finely diced

canned or fresh in season nibblets of corn

Personally I think the tortilla chips in the 2# bags from Costco are pretty darn good - especially for the price. I put the left overs in ziplock bags and they hold up reasonably well.

I also like the Trader Joe black chips - cheapest and best around.

It looks so pretty to lay out some black chips on top of the golden ones.

Barbara's is also a tasty brand.

[201]

Lately, I've been enjoying the peach and mango salsa from the Desert Pepper Trading Company. It's very sweet though, so you have to use it with very salty chips. Actually, I've been eating it mostly with El Galindo's lime and chile chips. The salsa actually cools the chips down and that makes them work well together.

I also picked up some canned Herdez salsa ranchero and salsa verde yesterday. I haven't yet gone to specifically seek out Herdez salsa, but I just happened upon these cans at a local Hispanic store about 5 minutes from my house. I'll try these salsas out this weekend and if I like them I'm sure I'll head out for the bottled casera.

[Jaymes]

I also picked up some canned Herdez salsa ranchero and salsa verde yesterday.  I haven't yet gone to specifically seek out Herdez salsa, but I just happened upon these cans at a local Hispanic store about 5 minutes from my house.  I'll try these salsas out this weekend and if I like them I'm sure I'll head out for the bottled casera.

I use the canned ranchero primarily for cooking - don't think it's so good as a dip. Love the salsa verde - it's good with chips and also for cooking.

But neither one is really a good harbinger for whether or not you'd like the jarred salsa casera.

Besides, didn't you get a good recipe for homemade salsa recently??? Or am I mistaken???

[201]

Besides, didn't you get a good recipe for homemade salsa recently???  Or am I mistaken??? 

Indeed, I did!! But this is the store-bought salsa and chips thread and my cooking experiments aren't going so well right now...

I think it's mostly because I'm not getting the right ingredients. I'm going to try to make salsa again tomorrow though and I'm also going to attempt guacamole. Any suggestions/recipes for the latter?

PS - I was actually planning on using the ranchero for cooking so I guess that's one small step in the right direction!

[Jaymes]

Besides, didn't you get a good recipe for homemade salsa recently???  Or am I mistaken???  

Indeed, I did!! But this is the store-bought salsa and chips thread and my cooking experiments aren't going so well right now...

I think it's mostly because I'm not getting the right ingredients. I'm going to try to make salsa again tomorrow though and I'm also going to attempt guacamole. Any suggestions/recipes for the latter?

"Right ingredients" are absolutely KEY, as I believe it goes to some lengths to explain in your instructions.

My guacamole:

First, make a really nice hot picante sauce:

Salsa de Jalapeño

12 whole pickled jalapeños (buy them in cans - Herdez sells them, among other brands - the label should say something like "Jalepeños en escabeche" or something similar)

1 cup tomatoes (I usually use canned for this)

1/2 t garlic salt

Remove stems from peppers. Put them and the tomatoes and the garlic salt into your food processor or chopper and process until ingredients are thoroughly blended, but don't pulvarize seeds.

This stuff is really hot, too hot for most folks to use for dips, etc., but it's great for flavoring foods. You won't use anywhere near all of it, so store the rest in a jar, tightly covered, in the fridge. Use it when preparing other foods like roasts, soups, eggs, etc.

GUACAMOLE

1 large, ripe avocado

1 large, ripe tomato, water removed

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped

1/2 t salt

1 T salsa de jalapeño (or to taste)

juice of half a small-to-med lime

Cut avocado into half, whack pit with knife to remove. Peel halves and, on large plate, mash pulp with fork. Mix in remaining ingredients and combine well, but under no circumstances put in blender or food processor - it's supposed to be chunky. Taste for seasonings and add additional salt or salsa if necessary.

If you like cilantro, obviously you can add it, but I don't. Although I really like the flavor of cilantro, I think it kind of overpowers the avocado. Also, I invariably serve my regular homemade salsa alongside the guacamole and it has cilantro in it, so people can mix the two if they want some cilantro flavor.

And there you have it.

[201]

Thanks for the recipe, Jaymes. Of course, I've got a dumb question about it... how do I go about removing the water from a tomato? I know I'm a pain, but I've got to learn these things someplace!