A Salsa Similar To Chili's

April 28, 2008 11:40 AM

I love Chili's salsa, it isn't full of chunks of veggies like the salsas I've tried in the store (and I think I've tried them all). Last night I went to On The Border and found out I liked their salsa even better. A similar consistency, but spicier and with some cilantro. What kind of salsa am I looking for (ordering online is fine, or brick and mortar in metro NY) that is most similar to these two?
posted by Brian Puccio to food & drink (15 comments total)

Chili's and On The Border are both Brinker Concepts, so it's not surprising that their salsas are similar. Anyway, you can buy On The Border salsa online and in stores. The pre-made salsa is slightly different than the kind in the restaurants because it is shelf stable rather than freshly made, but it should be pretty similar.
posted by jedicus at 11:51 AM on April 28, 2008

You could buy salsa and quickly churn it in a blender, and/or add fresh cilantro and whatnot.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:57 AM on April 28, 2008

Have you been to a genuine, authentic Mexican restaurant yet? If you like smooth (rather than chunky), slightly spicy and flavorful salsas then you actually want traditional Mexican-style salsa. Find out if there is a "real" Mexican restaurant in your area (2 clear indicators: they will have Horchatas/Agua Frescas and they will be filled with Latinos).

If you think most salsas are chunky then you haven't tried them all, you've simply exhausted the selection available in standard grocery stores. Try finding a Latin American supermarket and you will find a nice array of new and unfamiliar sauces for you to try.

Disclaimer: I know close to nothing about Mexican cuisine, just have been to a couple of authentic places and been to a few Latin American groceries as well.

On preview: pored over your question and see that you are in the NY metro area. I don't know New York city well, but I hear they have a lot of restaurants. For sure you will be able to find something. Good luck!
posted by Deathalicious at 11:58 AM on April 28, 2008

There are salsas like this available in many supermarkets. I have some Herdez salsa in my fridge right now, in fact, that has this texture (though the taste may be different -- I haven't eaten at Chili's in years, so don't remember the flavor). The "hispanic/latin american/etc" section of the supermarket should have several to choose from with this more blended texture.
posted by Forktine at 12:25 PM on April 28, 2008

You will like Herdez, for sure.
posted by streetdreams at 12:44 PM on April 28, 2008

If you can't find authentic Mexican salsa, Pace Picante Sauce is non-chunky and can be found nearly anywhere. I'm not sure how it compares to other salsas on the deliciousness scale, but I like it.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:51 PM on April 28, 2008

The type of salsa you looking for is called salsa roja (basically tomatoes, garlic, onions and peppers, pureed.) You can make it yourself easily, and it will most likely taste much better than what you can get from either of these places. There are tons of recipes for it online. This recipes is very close to mine.Remember recipes are just a guideline (types of tomatoes, amounts of ingredients, types of peppers can all vary - don't be afraid to mix it up.) It will take a bit of practice to make what seems perfect to you, but well worth it. Have fun.
posted by bigmusic at 1:04 PM on April 28, 2008

Herdez, blended with some fresh tomatoes/other ingredients, is pretty close to Chili's. The only problem I run into doing this is that a serving of salsa, plus enough diced tomato to blend well, makes more than I usually want to eat in one night, and it doesn't hold up as well in the fridge as just the bottled stuff.

Their Salsa verde sounds like something you'd like straight from the bottle, it's slightly hotter than most prepared salsa I've had.
posted by Benjy at 1:17 PM on April 28, 2008

Trader Joe's makes a really good salsa - it's called "salsa especial", I think, and it comes in a tub not a jar. It's in the refrigerator section. Not very chunky, unbelievably flavorful, just a twang of spice. Probably one of the best store-bought salsas I've had.
posted by pdb at 2:32 PM on April 28, 2008

Trader Joe's fire roasted tomato and tomatillo salsas have the consistency you're looking for.

Also Frontera (a Rick Bayless brand) has that type of texture, and can be ordered online.
posted by padraigin at 2:43 PM on April 28, 2008

I usually buy chunky salsa and toss it in the food processor, because I like the taste, but not the texture, of onions and peppers. This might work for you.
posted by goatdog at 3:11 PM on April 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

What you want is real, fresh salsa. I've never found anything in a jar anywhere near as good. In most supermarkets (in LA, at least), they have refrigerated salsa, that has an expiration date. This is better, but still not as good as the fresh stuff. I'm with Deathalicious. Your best bet will be to see if you can buy it the day you want it straight from a restaurant.
posted by kingjoeshmoe at 3:55 PM on April 28, 2008

Wow, thanks everyone!
posted by Brian Puccio at 6:52 AM on April 29, 2008

Just a note--the salsa you like, usually called "salsa roja," is not any more or less "real" than the salsa you dislike, which is usually called "pico de gallo" or "salsa cruda." They're both made and used widely across Mexico (often under different names).
posted by maxreax at 12:00 AM on April 30, 2008

Except that the kind of salsa he doesn't like that comes in jars isn't pico de gallo or salsa cruda. It's effectively a chunky sauce that, while it does feature a lot of the primary ingredients of salsas (tomatoes, onions, peppers, etc) it uses herbs, spices, and flavorings that are designed to match American taste buds. For example, in my experience most commercial salsas are much sweeter than the kinds you might get at a Mexican restaurant. They're also usually much milder (even the "hot" ones are well below most Mexican salsas) [and yes, I realize that generally pico de gallo is not a hot salsa]. In my mind, if tastes like it could have been sold by the Doritos company, then it's not going to be authentic.
posted by Deathalicious at 12:39 AM on April 30, 2008