Favorite supermarket salsas?

I'm on the hunt for a new jarred salsa. Not too fond of Newman's Own. Anything else considered, although we prefer milder spice and a strong tangy/acid note. I'm in the northeast, and have a TJ's and a Bread & Circus nearby. Special thanks for favorite tomatillo salsas.

Thanks!

[ExercisetoEat]

Trader Joe's Peach Salsa is salsa crack for me! I can't get enough of it (and sadly have to ship it or schlep it since the nearest TJ's is a very very long drive). I think I would lose a finger in exchange for the recipe. I've tried to replicate it but so far haven't even come close.

[cyberroo]

I keep a half dozen jars of Trader Joe's Double Roasted salsa on hand. I like the balance of it, and it's not sweet, which is my pet peeve with most supermarket brands. It's not particularly spicy, but I like that I can have a lot of it for flavor, rather than a little for heat.

That said, I did used to use the Frontera salsa, but I like something with a little more chunkiness. It's tasty, though.

[forzagto]

I like Amy's Fire Roasted Salsa Medium. It is all organic and has no added sugar. Although I am going to have to try that TJ mango/avocado salsa.

[Agent Orange]

I concur with AMFM above, Jack's Special Salsa by Garden Fresh Gourmet is bliss. They carry it in a few levels of spiciness. The mild is too sweet for my taste, but the medium hot is perfect. Garden Fresh also makes a few other flavors which are interesting, such as Artichoke and Roasted Garlic. I find them at my supermarket down here in Florida, so I presume one could find it in the NE.

[smarsh]

Not sure how widely distributed this is--I get it from the gas station across the street from my house, though i have seen it in a couple of grocery stores--but it is wonderful! http://www.melinamexsalsa.com/

I LOVE spicy food and the "medium" makes me sweat a little. The "hot" is so hot that it doesn't even really taste good

[jfood]

Hands down jfood likes IMUS Mild salsa.

[vickib]

My favorite jarred salsa is La Victoria Salsa Jalapena Verde. It's a tomatillo-based salsa with lots of heat. It is wonderful. It's totally worth searching for. I've requested it from grocery stores that don't usually carry it. I also like the Trader Joe's Salsa Autentica, which is a red tomato salsa.

[nancyhudson]

Native Salsas (they also have chips) out of the SF Bay Area. YUM! They have a fire roasted tomato and a mango avacado that are to die for...not sure if they are available on the east coast.

[AMFM]

it's a refrigerator/"fresh" one, not jarred. but jack's special salsa ( i like the medium but mild is good too if you like things not spicy) made by garden fresh gourmet is a fabulous brand. kroger's carries them. and so did other grocery stores in ohio - the company is based in michigan. hope you can find them. they're the best prepackaged i've ever found. and with a very little doctoring can make SUPERB easy meals.
www.gardenfreshsalsa.com

[revsharkie]

I like the Herdez, but when I can't get to where it's available before I need it (it's a 30-minute drive to the nearest Mexican grocery), I like Mad Butcher. Our local outfit Cookie's does salsa, but it's a little too tomato-sauce-y for my tastes.

[bookwormchef]

I love the Italian Rose brand found in the fridge section at Sam's. It is very fresh tasting.

[jim1126]

Sorry for bumping the old thread but I did a search on this because I have found what I believe to be the BEST supermarket salsas ever and they are Target's Archer Farms salsas. Man, are they fresh, unusual (some of them anyway) and GOOD.

thanks for all the suggestions. I see lots of taco salad in my future . . .

I like El Pato, in small (7 oz?) cans.

The salsas I like best are:

Jardine's Campfire Roasted
Jardine's Chipotle
Herdez Salsa Casera
Sadie's Not as Hot(Sadie's Hot is about my limit on heat but even the Not as Hot is hot)
Religious Experience(prefer the less hot versions of this brand)
El Pinto

I prefer salsas that use a souring ingredient other than vinegar(or those that use it sparingly), but I don't mind some heat as long as it isn't painful.

I looked on their map, and it's possible that you can find Emerald Valley Organic salsa in your area (not usually at TJs, though). I believe they're based out of Eugene, Oregon. I like how the flavours blend together without any one thing dominating. It comes in a tub rather than a jar, wasn't sure if the jar part was important. A link to their website is below.

Link: http://www.emeraldvalleykitchen.com/s...

TJ's salsa verde is good.
TJ's avo-mango salsa is not jarred, but it's really good, and a more affordable version of the $6-7 avo-mango sold by some California food company. Even my roommate who doesn't like avocado likes it.

Mrs. Renfro's makes a delicious, tangy tomatillo salsa, but it is rather hot. If you served it with something creamy (cream cheese or sour cream) that would temper the heat.

[zoey67]

You guys are awesome...as I found some Mrs Renfro's at walmart and yes it totally blew my mind I didn't expect something from a jar to taste this good and fresh. Def a step up from the ones I'm used to...Pace, Victoria. Herdez are all good ok but you can tell it's from a jar. Mrs Renfro's is restaurant quality and is very fresh.

Now I can't wait to try Frontera and green mountain gringo.

There aren't many store-bought salsas that I'll eat but this is one of them.

Link: http://www.salsalisa.com/

Salsa Lisa is my favorite store brand also. I like the mild medium variety, a lot of fresh flavor and not so hot that it burns the tastebuds.

To those not familiar with Salsa Lisa, look for it in the refrigerated section.

Mix it up to taste with a ripe avocado and it makes a great guacamole-style dip.

Thanks for the link, Sven!

[zoey67]

Where did you buy Salsa Lisa in SD area?

If you like smokier salsas, I love the Whole Foods brand Fire Roasted Salsa. I also agree about the Herdez, and particularly like their verde. I think some of the Super Stop and Shops carry it.

The Fronterra salsas are good bottled salsas. A good variety too. Also in the deli section of my grocery store there are a brand of "fresh" salsas by Santa Barbara which are excellent and very fresh tasting.

I like Frontera salsas a lot.

I'm fond of Desert Pepper salsas, which they carry in some "regular" supermarkets as well as more gourmet supermarkets. The two olive is my favorite.

However, check the link below for an excellent mail-order salsa, Jose Madrid, that I think would be very much to your liking. I particularly like their verde salsa (found under "Spanish" on their website) and the peach salsa (found under "Fruit"). You can trust their heat rankings -- the mild is very mild, the very hot is very hot.

Link: http://www.josemadridsalsa.com

We really like the Desert Pepper Trading Co. salsas, too. One of our regular markets carries them and the tomatillo salsa,our favorite, is called Salsa Del Rio. It's unusually good for a bottled salsa.

[man of salt]

We too are big fans of the Desert Pepper salsas. Every guest who's ever tried it has remarked on how good it is. A bit more expensive than your widely availabel brands, but well worth it.

Green Mountain Gringo. Named as such because it's made in vermont, but it's my fave. Very fresh tasting.

[puppymomma]

I like the Green Mountain Gringo too! I go for the medium heat.

Meryl
http://theoccasionalcook.blogspot.com/

[TonyO]

Not made in VT anymore. They were purchased and moved operations to Winston-Salem, NC. Still taste the same as before though. The Roasted Chile variety is real good.

I'm not sure if it's distributed in your area or not, but if you can find it, Herdez Salsa Casera in either the bottle or can is pretty good.

I second the recc. re: Hedera salsa. We have it here in DC at WholeFoods, which I think is the parent of Bread and Circus. So you should be able to get it. I have not seen it at TJs.

[dinner belle]

Herdez's Salsa Ranchera and Salsa Verde are really good, too.

I also like Herdez, but even better and harder to find is La Morena Home Made Style Red Mexican Sauce. It tastes like fresh homemade salsa.
It comes in a 7 ounce tin and has an orange wrapper. I have found it at a couple of bodegas in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and at the C-Town Supermarket in Williamsburg.