Salsa! There are so many variations to this tasty Mexican sauce/condiment. Many are spicy due to the addition of jalapenos or chili peppers. Different jalapenos have different heat levels.
While some jalapenos add a bit of heat to the tongue, others can set your whole mouth on fire. So, if you have accidentally used the jalapenos that have set your mouth on fire, there are ways to tone down the heat and spiciness.
Perhaps you want to make your salsa child-friendly. Read on for six ways to dial back down the heat.
How to Tone Down Spicy Salsa
1. Dilute It
The easiest method of reducing the spiciness is to add more bland ingredients to dilute the spicy ones. For instance, you can add more tomatoes, cilantro, onion, or avocado to the mix.
Adding these authentic Mexican ingredients will help reduce the heat without diluting the real flavor of the salsa. In addition, they will ensure the overall flavor is balanced.
If you have the time and ingredients, you can simply make salsa without jalapenos. On the other hand, if the salsa is already made, you can make another batch without jalapenos and mix the two to optimize the flavor.
Depending on the salsa recipe, you could also dilute it with water or tomato juice if it is very thick. Just be careful not to add too much.
2. Increase the Acidity
Another way of reducing the spiciness and heat of your salsa is by increasing the level of acidity. Of course, this will impact the flavor of the salsa so you need to be sure the recipe can handle extra acid.
Creamy salsas containing avocado or cream cheese can normally handle extra acid. Try lime juice for a fresh, citrusy flavor with the added benefit of heat reduction.
If you don’t have lime juice, you should also add lemon juice or vinegar but make sure you are careful about how much you add.
Last but not least, you could add tomatoes or pineapple cubes since they have an acidic nature. Extra onion and cilantro can be added to balance the flavor.
3. Increase the Sweetness
Adding a little sugar will help to tone down the effect of the heat as well as balance any acidity.
4. Use Fried Onions
Fried onions work really well when you are trying to tone down the heat of a spicy salsa. This is because gently fried and caramelized onions will add a bit of sweetness to the salsa as well as fat.
Both sweetness and fat work perfectly to reduce the heat in a recipe. Fat does this by breaking down the capsaicin coating on the tongue which is responsible for a burning hot sensation.
(That’s why it helps to drink milk but not water when your mouth is on fire!)
5. Use Sour Cream
While you cannot always add sour cream to salsa, you can always serve salsa with a bowl of sour cream on the side. As with fried onions, the sweetness and fattiness of the cream work to neutralize the burn.
The best thing about serving salsa with sour cream is that everyone can consume the ratio of salsa to cream according to their personal preferences.
For instance, if someone is fine with spicy salsa, they can leave the sour cream alone.
6. Add Some Fruits
If you don’t mind experimenting with your recipe and tweaking it a little, you can add fruit. This is because adding sweet fruits like melon, peaches, and pineapple will reduce the spiciness.
Of course, it will change the original flavor, but you may end up with a new favorite recipe! Start by adding a little fruit at a time so that your salsa doesn’t end up being too sweet.
Well, that’s our six ways to tone down salsa that’s too hot. You might like to try our two moreish salsa recipes below – they’re especially good for people who don’t like too much heat so you can safely serve them at your next children’s party.
Buen provecho!
Recipe #1 Mild Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of very ripe, fresh, chopped plum tomatoes
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (use Italian parsley if you don’t like cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno, white seeds removed and very finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt flakes
- 1 small garlic clove, very finely chopped
Instructions:
Prepare all the ingredients, putting them into a big bowl as you go. Cover and chill for up to 4 days. Serve with tacos, as a dip, or on your morning eggs.
Recipe #2 Mild Avocado and Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients:
- 1 cup small cocktail tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup ripe pineapple, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 large avocados, diced
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- Small handful cilantro, finely chopped
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 small red chilli, seeds removed, very finely chopped
- 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and very finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions:
Prepare all the ingredients and mix them all together in a bowl. Serve with tortilla chips.