292591 Tue Apr 22 18:21:23 -0700 2003 52 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1597385 For years, I have been trying to track down small (7 oz.) cans of "El Pato" salsa here in the Bay Area. When worse comes to worst, I haul it home from Southern California. I like how spicy it is, and I like that it has a lot of other taste to it than just heat. I think, however, that it is time to expand my salsa horizons. What is your favorite canned or jarred salsa? Please, no recommendations to make my own, or to buy the refrigerated salsa. I know how to make my own, and do, but often just want to open a can -- especially when tomatoes aren't in season. I need something that I can stock up on. Thanks! Tue Apr 22 18:21:23 -0700 2003 0 jen maiser 1 1597387 I know you said not to say make your own but...open a can of chipotle chiles and then open a can of tomatillos and dump them both into a blender with some garlic cloves, 3 or 4 or more and blend a couple of seconds. If not, Herdez Salsa Casera or Embasa Chile Ranchera. Tue Apr 22 18:31:03 -0700 2003 1597385 0 Neta 2 1597389 I second the recommendation for Herdez Salsa Casera. Herdez' Salsa Verde is okay too, but the Casera rocks. Tue Apr 22 18:40:17 -0700 2003 1597387 0 DanaB 3 1597390 Herdez Salsa Casera is packed in cans and jars. It's probably just my imagination, but I think that the stuff in the cans is not as good. So, my recommendation is also for Herdez Salsa Casera. In jars. Tue Apr 22 18:49:52 -0700 2003 1597389 0 ChrissieH 4 1597395 Herdez Salsa Casera by a landslide. No cabe duda. Tue Apr 22 19:20:17 -0700 2003 1597390 0 Cristina 4 1597415 That's funny! I think it's better in the cans. Plus, the size of the can is perfect for one serving (although the leftovers keep pretty well in the fridge). Perhaps it's a difference in the heat? I think the cans are "hot" and the jars are medium (at least at my market). Tue Apr 22 21:46:53 -0700 2003 1597390 0 DanaB 5 1597487 Well, maybe then there's no real difference - and it's all in my imagination. The stuff in jars comes in mild, medium and hot - I believe. The hot is really hot. I suspect that where you are, you're not getting the hot stuff in the jars. To me, the canned variety has a metallic taste. But I've never done a side-by-side test. Probably should. Wed Apr 23 14:18:09 -0700 2003 1597415 0 ChrissieH 5 1597489 Wanted to add that what I do when I open a jar of Herdez (either the Casera or the Verde), is to have some as a snack or appetizer, but plan to use the remainder to prepare dinner sometime later that week. My favorite is to take some fillets of fish (I keep a big bag of Orange Roughy fillets from Sam's in the freezer), put them on a baking sheet, dump the rest of the salsa over, and bake for about 15 minutes or so. This is a wonderful, healthful, quick and easy main course. With it I usually serve some corn, refried beans, tortillas, and avocado and orange salad. You simply can't beat it. It's my very favorite way to prepare fish and I never have the problem of a jar of salsa going bad in the fridge. Wed Apr 23 14:40:08 -0700 2003 1597415 0 ChrissieH 2 1597412 I like the Herdez salsa verde, but prefer La Costeña brand (also from Mexico) for salsa casera. Comes in both a can or a jar. I prefer the cans, only because I can stack them up better in my cramped kitchen. Tue Apr 22 21:12:58 -0700 2003 1597387 0 butterfly 3 1597447 Butterfly, where can I get Herdez or La Costena in the DC area? Thanks. Wed Apr 23 10:01:53 -0700 2003 1597412 0 elyhtak 4 1597454 You live in Dupont Circle, right? You should be able to get Herdez and La Costena at the Pena Spanish Store on 17th (they also have pretty good sandwiches). They also usually sell them at Safeway (at least they do on Columbia Road). If you want to go a bit further, Todito grocery on Columbia is a very good latin store with a somewhat wider variety from Mexico, Central and South America (the salsa is in the aisle furthest to the left). There's also a latin store near 14 and S (El Paraiso, I think, next to Go Mama Go!). Wed Apr 23 11:11:56 -0700 2003 1597447 0 butterfly 4 1597473 Herdez is also avaliable at Harris Teeter stores Wed Apr 23 13:04:01 -0700 2003 1597447 0 asok 2 1597413 I like Herdez Salsa Ranchera. I put it on everything and anything Tue Apr 22 21:29:21 -0700 2003 1597387 0 ocdreamr 2 1597627 When you blend tomatillos and chipotles, don't you end up with something looking like mud? A lot of the charm of salsas verde is their color. Thu Apr 24 14:47:45 -0700 2003 1597387 0 Sharuf 3 1597800 No, it doesn't faintly resemble mud. You end up with a delicious dark red smoky hot salsa that goes great on everything. I did forget to mention you add the liquid from the tomatillos and then some water if too thick for ones preference. Sun Apr 27 11:29:35 -0700 2003 1597627 0 Neta 1 1597396 This is surely a geographical bias, but we live and die by Green Mountain Gringo. Comes in three "heats" -- the mild is even a little too spicy for the pups. The couple who make it lived in SoCal for a while, and when they moved back to Vermont, the only way they could get the decent salsa they craved was to make it themselves. And then they started bottling it. And the rest is history. Damn good. Tue Apr 22 19:27:46 -0700 2003 1597385 0 GG Mora 2 1597432 Gotta second the Green Mountain Gringo in a jar. Good stuff, and the hot stuff makes me especially happy. Must be those endorphins. :-) Link: http://www.greenmountaingringo.com/ Wed Apr 23 01:03:30 -0700 2003 1597396 0 Laughing Goddess 3 1597443 Third-ing the Green Mtn. Gringo, they have the freshest tasting salsa of all jarred brands :} Wed Apr 23 09:44:00 -0700 2003 1597432 0 alex 4 1597444 add another vote for Green Mountain Gringo! LOVE it. Very fresh. When in a pinch, I even (gasp) make gazpacho with it... Wed Apr 23 09:48:25 -0700 2003 1597443 0 budino 5 1597451 Nothing much to add, but I love it too. Definitely my favorite salsa. I like the mild, because you can taste the veggies more and even the medium is quite hot. Wed Apr 23 10:41:16 -0700 2003 1597444 0 Brendan T. 5 1597457 Ooh, how do you doctor it up to make gazpacho? It's almost gazpacho time of year, ya know. :-) Wed Apr 23 11:20:47 -0700 2003 1597444 0 Laughing Goddess 6 1597464 I suspect a quick pulse or two in the Cuisinart, some diced cuke and splash of OO would do it. Damn. I'm gonna have to run out and try that. Just to make you all jealous, there's a place nearby where I can get the food-service sized (gallon?) jars for about 20 bucks. Wed Apr 23 12:03:16 -0700 2003 1597457 0 GG Mora 7 1597469 DEFINITELY jealous of the huge jar availabiltiy! We go through a ton of this stuff in the summer. Here's the gazpacho recipe, though I'm sure any natural improvised method would work too (as GG mentioned). I call this "trash gazpacho" because of the jarred salsa and the boxed croutons (I'm generally much more of a naturalist), but I swear it's fantastic. Link: http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=1179&action=filtersearch&filter=recipe-filter.hts&collection=Recipes&ResultTemplate=recipe-results.hts&keyword=salsa+gazpacho&queryType=and Wed Apr 23 12:37:44 -0700 2003 1597464 0 budino 1 1597399 I recently discovered Paul Newman's Pineapple Salsa. Sounds unusual, but it tastes terrific! Tue Apr 22 19:52:51 -0700 2003 1597385 0 LisaN 2 1597402 I absolutely concur about Newman's Pineapple salsa---I just wish it were easier to find. Equally good, and harder yet to find is Newman's Peach salsa. Tue Apr 22 20:20:48 -0700 2003 1597399 0 Marion Morgenthal 3 1597408 Marion - from your post on another board it seems you may live in Brooklyn. If so, the dreaded Met Food on Smith and Baltic carries several varieties of the Newman's salsas. Tue Apr 22 20:32:25 -0700 2003 1597402 0 Dipsy 4 1597419 Thanks Dipsy. I do indeed live in Carroll Gardens--I'll have to check it out. I usually use the dreaded Key Food on Court Street--except when I do my real shopping at Shoprite on Avenue I. Tue Apr 22 22:37:15 -0700 2003 1597408 0 Marion Morgenthal 2 1597403 My husband the salsa fiend also loves the Newman's pineapple salsa. I'm not a big jarred salsa fan but I serve it to guests and it's always devoured. Tue Apr 22 20:20:57 -0700 2003 1597399 0 Dipsy 1 1597411 Rick Bayless' Frontera Salsas are expensive, but are really good. For a special occasion, when you don't have time to make your own...they are worthy of serving to guests. My favorites are the chipotle and roasted tomato ones--can't remember the official names offhand. I make roasted chile salsa every few months and break it down into small containers for the freezer. That way I have it on hand whenever I need it, and only make it when I'm in the mood... Tue Apr 22 21:06:50 -0700 2003 1597385 0 zora 2 1597426 I agree that the Frontera stuff is quite good. I make salsa 90% of the time that I eat it, but when I buy it, it's almost always one of the Frontera varieties. Tue Apr 22 23:34:51 -0700 2003 1597411 0 david in NOLa 3 1597437 I've used Frontera Grill salsas for years--since first falling in love with the restaurant in Chicago. What I do with them, however, is braise chicken and pork in them. Not just the ones labelled "cooking salsa" but in the regular ones too. All are good. Wed Apr 23 06:55:11 -0700 2003 1597426 0 Coyote 4 1597482 Frontera brand salsas are available for a reasonable price at Cost Plus. Wed Apr 23 14:01:20 -0700 2003 1597437 0 JudiAU 5 1597491 Frontera Grill salsas are also available for a less reasonable price at William Sonoma. How I wish I had Cost Plus and Trader Joe's in FL! Wed Apr 23 15:04:37 -0700 2003 1597482 0 Coyote 4 3708522 Frontera Guajillo Salsa has a terrific recipe (quick and easy) for doing shrimp on the stove. Works for me! Wed May 21 10:29:10 -0700 2008 1597437 137881 BerkshireTsarina 1 1597434 What I've had over the past several months: Some I like best are DL Jardine's Campfire Roasted(Medium), DL Jardine's Chipotle Salsa(Medium), Herdez Salsa Casera, and On the Border Salsa(Hot). I don't consider any of those to be particularly hot. Another I get from time to time is Sadies' Not So Hot, but it's a little too simple in flavor to suit me. The Not So Hot is still hotter than the salsas I previously mentioned. Some of the 505 brand salsas taste decent, but they have an aroma that I don't care for. I've had Arriba Fire Roasted Red which was decent. Can't remember if I had the Medium or Hot(I think it was Hot), but I remember thinking it needed more heat. I've had Frontera Cilantro Jalapeno. Thought it was okay but had a little too much cilantro in it for my tastes. Also needed more heat. (I wish Herdez Salsa Casera had a little more cilantro in it which would make it about as good as bottled/canned salsa could probably be.) Also had a few others that don't deserve mention. Wed Apr 23 04:52:34 -0700 2003 1597385 0 Chimayo Joe 2 1597435 Correction on the Jardine salsas--it's Jardine 7J Ranch brand not DL Jardine. Same company, different product line. Wed Apr 23 05:39:20 -0700 2003 1597434 0 Chimayo Joe 1 1597449 When I have to buy canned, it's Herdez. But usually I just bring pint containers with me to my favorite Mexican restaurants and take some of theirs home with me. The Cost is no more than jarred salsas and the taste is better. ed Wed Apr 23 10:31:02 -0700 2003 1597385 0 e.d. 2 1597450 Perhaps this is a sin, but I like to take Chevy's (the big Pepsico chain restaurant) salsa home with me. It is quite good, as are their flour tortillas Wed Apr 23 10:37:21 -0700 2003 1597449 0 mari 3 1597458 I love their salsa too, I have a friend who works there, so I get alot of it. I also like Carrie & Loni's black bean salsa. Wed Apr 23 11:28:08 -0700 2003 1597450 0 M. Allen 1 1597470 If you have a Whole Foods Market nearby, they have their own brand of good salsas at very reasonable prices. The medium, corn, and especially the roasted chile salsa are all very good, especially for something out of a jar. Other than that, I'll also add my voice to the Green Mountain Gringo chorus, although they're a little on the sweet side for my taste. Wed Apr 23 12:40:28 -0700 2003 1597385 0 MichaelB 1 1597475 I love El Pato too! The flavor is great and just seeing the can makes me feel good. Another that I like is Herdez Salsa Casera. Their Rancho is good too. Haven't found a salsa in a jar that I care for, but in bottles I like Cholula, Valentina (black label), and El Tapatio. Wed Apr 23 13:11:29 -0700 2003 1597385 0 suzannapilaf 2 1597570 The best red sauce in a bottle I've ever tried is AMOR extra picante. I've only found it in Tijuana; where I live in Mexico, Cholula is the gold standard. It's made 10 kilometers from my house. Wed Apr 23 23:19:07 -0700 2003 1597475 0 Cristina 3 1597610 Lucky you! I have visited there and enjoyed it very much depite the volcano spewing eye-burning fumes. We watched it from the roof of our hotel in Puebla. We ate great crayfish in a little cafe in Cholula and in Puebla I found a retablo depicting a culinary milagro that occurred on my birthday no less! Also had the most awesome sopa de ajo there. Hope I get back some day! Thu Apr 24 12:54:40 -0700 2003 1597570 0 suzannapilaf 1 1597569 My favorite store bought salsa is Kjalii. Comes in a plastic container in the refrigerator section (even our local Safeway carries several varieties). Mainly sold in California but I see from their website they are available in other states. They make several varieties--my favorites are their citrus papaya chipolte, papaya mango, avomango and guacamole salsas. The good news is they're fresh w/ no preservatives. The bad news is they're fresh w/ no preservatives. Unless I'm entertaining I rarely use it up before the cover poofs up and blows. This weekend I bought Trader Joe's Avo Mango Salsa. It's quite good and less expensive than Kjalii and has stayed fresh longer. Link: http://www.sfsalsa.com/index.htm Wed Apr 23 23:06:47 -0700 2003 1597385 0 chowfish 1 1597623 Jen, You should check out the stores along International Blvd in Fruitvale. I'm 99% sure I've seen El Pato there--maybe in the produce market on International and 39th. I even think that the big Albertson's next to the 880 at Fruitvale Ave. has El Pato. Okay, maybe it's a wild goose chase, but if you're ever in the area...say, for Cinco de Mayo? Good luck! -MP Thu Apr 24 14:32:44 -0700 2003 1597385 0 Missy P. 1 1597644 I ran across El Pato in a Wal-Mart Supercenter, yesterday. I don't know if you have those in your area, but it might be worth checking. Picked up a small can each of something labeled Salsa de Jalapeno/Jalapeno Salsa and Salsa de Chile Fresco/Tomato Sauce(Mexican Hot Style). Haven't had a chance to try them yet. Thu Apr 24 16:39:19 -0700 2003 1597385 0 Chimayo Joe 1 3598482 Newmans own pineapple is great too!!!!!!!!! Tue Apr 15 20:33:02 -0700 2008 1597385 183860 dana43chow 2 3708534 And yet another vote for Newmans Pineapple Salsa; everybody loves it. Gets inhaled at parties, and my husband and I can make quite a dent by ourselves. Wed May 21 10:31:42 -0700 2008 3598482 137881 BerkshireTsarina 1 3709594 I don't know if you have COSTCO by you but their mango salsa is great. If not, Santa Barbara Mango and Peach Salsa and Habanero Lime Salsa http://www.sbsalsa.com/index.html also Desert Pepper Trading Co. 2 Olive Roasted Garlic Salsa Wed May 21 15:11:01 -0700 2008 1597385 183241 misnatalie 1 3709708 i second missnatalie's santa barbara suggestion -- but i like the regular, hot salsa best! so much that when i first discovered it, i ate it by the spoonful, straight. (the mango's a little too sweet for my tastes.) Wed May 21 15:51:11 -0700 2008 1597385 64215 cimui 2 3709859 Yes the hot is awesome, I too can easily eat it out of the jar. Just last night I used it like a salad dressing mixing half hot and half mango. Wed May 21 16:44:09 -0700 2008 3709708 183241 misnatalie 3 3709898 ah that's a great idea. mixing would solve the sweetness problem and probably go great over fish, too... thanks! Wed May 21 16:59:35 -0700 2008 3709859 64215 cimui 4 3709996 My salad had seared scallops on top, it was very good. Wed May 21 17:26:22 -0700 2008 3709898 183241 misnatalie