No need to tip the waitress... Homemade Chips and Salsa Fresca

 

Homemade Chips and Salsa Fresca

 

 

 

I love making homemade chips and salsa, its such a quick, and delicious snack that everybody loves. I make them when I cook Mexican dishes like carne asada or tacos. I make different variations of this same salsa which are also equally as good. If I'm having people over to carne asada and chicken tacos I make this salsa and a fresh cucumber variation, which is has chopped cucumber instead of of the tomatoes. Chopped mangoes, and avocado are also really delicious variations to try. You can make it as hot or mild as you like. And you don't have to feel guilty because its all fresh ingredients, so you can put it on anything. :)

 

The basic ingredients for every salsa fresca are chopped tomatoes, cilantro, serrano peppers and/or jalapeño peppers (I didn't use the full amount in the picture, but you can if you want it really hot), and onion I use red or white depending on what I'm serving it with, red onion is a lot sweeter. Its mixed with lime or lemon juice, pepper, garlic salt, or garlic powder and regular salt.

 

Mix up and enjoy!! :)

For the chips, I like to use yellow corn tortillas because they fry up nicer and taste better than white corn. I stack them on top of each other and cut them into slices like a pie. I cut all the way through and across making a cross then diagonally in between the slices. The picture above is a stack of four tortillas cut into 8 slices, making 32 chips. Cutting them like this makes them look like you brought them home from your favorite Mexican food restaurant and its easier to scoop up salsa.

Fry then in vegetable or grape oil flipping only once. They cook up pretty fast and it is really easy to burn them so keep on eye on them. Oil should be hot but not too hot, so lower the heat if it gets too hot or starts to pop too much. As with any frying or cooking make sure oil is hot enough before you add the tortilla chips. You don't need very much oil just enough to cover them like in the picture above.  Use tongs to flip them, and when they are slightly golden brown on the edges take them out of the oil and let them drain on paper towels. Salt right away or it wont stick. You can serve them hot but they get crunchier as they sit. You can also bake them if you don't want to fry them. Just brush with olive oil and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until crunchy. Salt immediately after taking them out of the oven.

So the next time you're in the mood for chips and salsa don't waste your money on a tip, make your own homemade chips and salsa :) Make sure you try the cucumber, avocado, and mango variations as well. Enjoy!!