Salsa

A Crash Course

PETER PIPER’S PECK

HERE ARE A VERY FEW (THERE ARE SO MANY!) FRESH, SMOKED AND DRIED CHILES TO HELP EXPAND YOUR SALSA REPERTOIRE.

JALAPEÑO Probably the most common and easiest to find. They are usually sold green and have a bite, but the flavour is mostly bright and tangy, imparting a freshness to your salsa.

Ripened and dried jalapeños are called chipotle chiles, often reconstituted in adobo sauce and sold in small tins.

SERRANO Hotter still, with a deeper more savoury flavour profile. A good rule of thumb: the smaller the chile, the hotter it will be. Some say the salsa Pico de Gallo (rooster’s beak) is named after the pointy shape of this chile.

POBLANO These can be purchased dried and then reconstituted (they are called Ancho chiles when ripened to red and dried), but the fresh green chiles are worth buying for their unique fruity flavour. They are milder than jalapeños and are often prepared stuffed.

GREEN CHILES, FRESNO, NEW MEXICO, HATCH These long green, relatively mild peppers are indispensable in Southwestern cuisine. The air is redolent with charring peppers during the season all throughout the southern states, but roasting and peeling is a pain, so I tend to look for them in cans, already peeled (and sometimes chopped).

HABANERO This is a very hot pepper and should be used with some caution. It is also incredibly addictive with a flavour unlike any other pepper. What to do? Find a balance and don’t deprive yourself of this delectable chile. They’re one of the prettiest peppers as well. Cute, but deadly.

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