The closest you can get is Annie's Salsa and leave out the tomato paste. It is optional anyway. Or you can use the Mrs. Wages Salsa Mix packages.

Otherwise there are no tested recipes for pressure canned salsa - insufficient demand for it to warrant the costs of testing and insufficient funds - and only a few tested and approved for BWB processing.

But you can make any recipe you wish and freeze it. Gives you many more options than canning does.

Dave

Ok, thanks. I saved Annie's salsa several years ago but didn't know the paste was optional. A neighbor makes one from the Ball book, but it's kind of watery and mushy. Dh is a salsa fan, pico really, and I'm not crazy about spicy. So I'll pass that info on to him.

Canned salsa is supposed to be somewhat 'sloppy', soupy when canned to allow for proper heat penetration. Thick (stands up a spoon) salsa has too many low-acid/density issues to be canned safely.

You drain off any excess liquid you don't want AFTER you open the jar.

Dave

The salsa dh makes isn't thick, but it's not watery either. When he makes it fresh, it is more like Tex Mex pico de gallo rather than canned taco sauce.

I'm a bigger fan of pico de gallo than salsa too, on a range of dishes from chips, fish, chicken, even steak...

But I've never found a way to duplicate that in a canned commercial or home kitchen product. The freshness and texture just doesn't lend itself to canning. Or freezing.

And what a pain to make. A friend who owned a Mex restaurant told me always hand chop, never food processor. If only my knife skills were better :)

Yeah, true pico needs the chunks you don't get with a food processor, but the processor gives it a nice texture that's easier for dipping, IMO. I think dh chops everything by hand since he has to deseed everything anyway. I'm not crazy about pico because I don't like raw onioins.

I agree with the idea that fresh chunky pico type is the best salsa, so I've never tried canning one. May try with a tomatillo salsa this year.

Spoiled rotten me has a hubby who's a chef (though my knife skills are pretty good too) so I hadn't thought about the time it takes. Marti--I also can't stand raw onions, but for some reason I love pico once it has the salt and lime juice. Go figure!

Best as I understand the difference between pico and salsa is that pico isn't cooked at all and uses no vinegar. So the closest I have come to pico (and it isn't real of course because it is cooked when canned) is a modification of the NCHFP Tomato and Green Chile Salsa.

I used jalapenos instead of chilies, left out the garlic, cumin, subbed cilantro for the oregano, and used lime juice for 1/2 the vinegar called for. Drain well and chill well before serving.

Not great but not bad either.

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Tomato Green Chili Salsa