How to Make Fermented Salsa

Everything you love about fresh salsa, but with the added benefit of fermentation! Not only does fermentation offer gut health benefits, it also makes a mellow, deep-tasting salsa. No weird taste– no one will guess it is fermented. Both a healthy salsa and an easy salsa recipe!

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Why ferment salsa?

Well, that is a good question. The first time I tried it, it was in large part because I had a large pile of fresh, organic tomatoes that were just about to spoil. We couldn’t eat that much fresh salsa, so I tried fermenting it. With trepidation…

I thought fermented salsa would taste weird. Fermented-tasting, or sharp, or effervescent, or something people would not like. Or want to eat.

Happily, I was wrong! Not only did I like it, other people did, too. It didn’t have any of the weird tastes I imagined. It does taste a little more mellow than fresh pico de gallo, with a subtle depth that is hard to describe. Except that it is good!

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Benefits of fermenting your salsa

Ordinary salsa is great! Whether from a jar or freshly made pico de gallo, there is a lot to love about salsa. Salsa is one of the few things I still buy that has more than about 2 ingredients. We eat a lot of it, and you can buy pretty good versions just about anywhere you buy groceries.

If you want to make your salsa even better, go ahead and ferment it, at least some of the time.

Here are some reasons to try it:

• probiotics– fermented foods are rich in probiotics, or microbes that are good for our guts. I prefer to rely mainly on probiotic foods versus supplements, though there are helpful probiotic supplements out there. Many supplements don’t hold up well to heat, acid, and such that are normal in the body, and may not make it very far into the digestive tract at all. The better ones are usually expensive, too. Fermenting foods ourselves is not expensive or all that time consuming, and spread throughout the digestive tract.
• prebiotics– probiotic microbes need to be fed, and foods that feed them are called prebiotics. Salsa has two prebiotics– onion and garlic.
• enzymes– fermented foods are also rich in enzymes, so you will break down and absorb nutrients from your meal more effectively– this is also a reason people following the GAPS diet are supposed to have something fermented with each meal.
• immune health– in addition to general gut health, fermented foods help our immune systems function better
• longevity– no kind of salsa lasts very long at our house, but fermented salsa could last a lot longer than the fresh or jarred kinds if we didn’t gobble it all up too fast.
• flavor– fresh and jarred salsas are great, but there is a depth of flavor to the fermented kind that is a cut above, in my opinion. Of course, opinions can vary…
• customizable– this benefit applies to any salsa you make yourself, including fermented ones. Make it as spicy or mild as you like, use cilantro or don’t, cut down the onion or garlic or use more, add spices or don’t, use different types of tomato… make it your own!

What drawbacks are there to fermented salsa?

• You can’t eat it right away. It takes a few days to ferment– I usually do 2-3 days depending on how warm it is, but you could do longer. Of course, you could make a big batch, have some as fresh pico de gallo, and ferment the rest if you need it right away.
• Some people don’t tolerate fermented foods very well, mainly if they have a lot of gut damage. People with SIBO are particularly likely to have this trouble. Then it is better to skip it, or have tiny amounts (like maybe just a drop) and work your way up as you work on healing.
• Other people can have some fermented food, but not too much. Start small and see how you do. The more you heal, the more you will probably be able to tolerate and enjoy. Just maybe don’t start by eating a whole jar…
• It isn’t quite as pretty as fresh salsa. This is shallow, I realize. But I noticed most photos of fermented salsa recipes are bright, fresh salsas that have not yet fermented. The colors are gorgeous! But once you ferment them, they turn dull, more similar to jarred salsa. Definitely less vibrant and appealing.
• Most salsas are full of nightshades. If you are sensitive to nightshades, this is not the salsa recipe for you, at least until you have done a lot of healing. In that case, maybe look at this one or this one for nightshade-free inspiration.

Will it taste wrong (weird/rotten/sharp/spicy/bubbly)?

Weird is subjective, and fermented salsa does taste a bit different. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t whatever I was worried about. It is subtle, a bit mellow and deep, and maybe a little sour. Not very sour, though.

It will not taste rotten at all. If it does, throw it out! That isn’t likely to happen.

It will not have the sharp taste I think I imagined. If anything, fermented salsas are a bit more mellow than fresh.

It will be as spicy as you make it. Or maybe just a smitch less spicy after it ferments. So you can make it totally mild by using bell pepper rather than jalapeño, or you can go wild with a ghost pepper and maybe end up in the ER.

Fermented salsa will likely develop some bubbles on top, but it won’t taste bubbly or effervescent the way fruits can when they pass their prime.

A few other random questions about fermenting salsa

Do I have to follow the recipe exactly?

No, not at all. If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out. Add other things, like bell pepper or tomatillo or other herbs you like or want to use up. As long as you keep 2-3 tsp of salt per pint of salsa, you will do just fine.

Can I use whey to ferment it like I do with other vegetable ferments?

You can add a couple of tablespoons of whey. I think it will ferment a little faster if you do, but I haven’t actually tried it. The reason is that I started fermenting salsa before my son got rid of his dairy allergy. Now he can have dairy, but I use whey for other projects, like lemonade, and don’t see a reason to waste my beautiful whey on salsa. You can use it for salsa, though!

Can I use fresh pico de gallo and ferment it?

Yes, that is basically what we are doing in this recipe- making a pico de gallo and adding a brine before letting it ferment. You can use any favorite pico de gallo recipe and add the brine (salt with water or other liquid) before letting it sit for a few days. If you use a store bought pico de gallo, check the label carefully to verify that there are no preservatives in it. I haven’t ever tried this, but I see no reason it wouldn’t work except that preservatives might mess the fermentation up.

I‘m not used to fermenting things– how will I know if it goes bad?!

A lot of us weren’t brought up eating fermented foods, except maybe store bought yogurt which is barely fermented at all and comes in sanitized-looking, sealed containers. We certainly didn’t have jars of things bubbling along on the counter growing up. I threw away my first batch of kombucha because I was alarmed at how lively it was! Now I realize it was a wonderfully healthy batch. So I understand the trepidation!

Now is great time to overcome this educational hole, and salsa is a great way to start. Really, any vegetable ferment is good, as it is hard to go wrong as long as you have enough salt and keep your veg submerged. If you are really worried, a fermentation weight could help, or anything you can stick in there to keep it all under the brine. I haven’t tried the weights, but I fold up a cabbage leaf on top of my sauerkraut.

I haven’t ever had a salsa batch spoil, so it is a good way to start. If you are nervous, try fermenting it for just one day, then next time try two, then three. You will gain confidence as you experiment and eat the results and don’t die! (You won’t die.)

You will see a few bubbles form after a day or two. That is normal. You may also see a layer of white film on top. It is likely to be kahm yeast, and if I find it, I scrape it off the top and freely eat the contents. If you see fuzzy, or black or green stuff, throw it out and try again! It can happen, but it doesn’t happen easily with salsa. Read more here about safely fermenting. You can do this!

How to Make Fermented Salsa

Gather your ingredients. Use just the ones you love! Salsa is such a flexible condiment; as long as you have the right amount of salt, it will adapt to just about anything you put in or leave out! I used onion, tomato, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and a bit of cumin and lemon juice. The one essential is salt, or you could use whey or other fermentation brine left over from another ferment.

Chop everything into roughly similar size bits. I like to remove the pepper and tomato seeds, but you don’t have to.

Stir it all together and spoon into a jar. Squeeze in a little lemon or lime juice if you like. Lime is fabulous!

Make sure there is liquid covering the salsa. If you have fermentation weights, you could use them. If you don’t, just be sure there is enough liquid that everything can stay submerged. I have never used weights. Put the lid on and set aside at room temperature.

This is what my salsa looked like after one day.

I didn’t take any pictures the second day. We went on a day trip and got home at 11 p.m.

The third day, we ate the salsa at dinner. This is how it looked. You will notice there is a lot of liquid that is necessary to the fermentation process.

Make Fermented Salsa Your Way

• Play around with the ingredients as much as you want, keeping the salt consistent. You need the salt to prevent spoiling as the fermentation process is going on. A lot of the salt will stay in the brine when you serve the salsa, so you won’t eat very much of it. If you are using a good quality of salt, there is no need to worry about eating some salt. If you end up with about a pint of salsa plus 2-3 tsp salt, you will do fine with different ratios of the ingredients or with other things you might add.
• Use more or fewer tomatoes, or try different types of tomato.
• Use more jalapeño, or less, or even leave it out. If you want a really mild salsa, use bell pepper instead. If you want a spicier salsa, use a more intense pepper.
• You can also tinker with the onion and garlic to suit your taste.
• Cilantro is divisive. I love it! Many can’t stand it at all. Leave it out or use less, as you prefer. Cilantro helps us detox metals, so be aware that if you eat a lot of it at once, you could have a detox reaction. You could cut down on the cilantro, or you could try a binder with it to help move the metals out. The amount in this recipe isn’t likely to give you a huge detox reaction if you eat a spoonful or two.

But I am on GAPS and I can’t eat chips!

I know the no-tortilla-chips part of GAPS stinks. Tortilla chips are delicious, and we all think of chips when we think of salsa. They go together!

You can still use salsa, though. We go through about as much on nearly-GAPS as we did pre-GAPS and on proper GAPS. It tastes good and it is convenient and good for us! Here are some ways to still use salsa if you are on GAPS or not eating chips for other reasons:

• scoop salsa onto meat that could use a little more flavor– a piece of fish, a burger, plain chicken or other meat– keeping salsa around is a simple and nutritious way to make plain meat taste better.
• Make a “bowl” with chopped or shredded meat, veggies and lettuce, cultured dairy and cheese, egg, maybe some avocado or guacamole, and a good scoop of salsa.
• Serve salsa with eggs, either for breakfast or later on.
• Some soups are good with salsa– chili, tomato soup, butternut squash soup, cheeseburger soup, any soup that could potentially mesh with the salsa flavors might taste great with some salsa, sour cream, cheese, green onion, etc. It is nice to let the soup cool a bit before adding your salsa to keep more of the fermentation benefits. If you go ahead and serve it hot with fermented things, you will still get some benefits even from dead beneficial microbes, according to Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. Don’t stress out!

What do you like to eat with salsa, besides chips?