If you ever get the chance to have a Texas-born Step Mom, get them to make their killer Texas Style Salsa, hold them close and never let them go.

Such has been the case for me with my Step Mom, Pam. She's the best at making Texan or Mexican-inspired cuisine. I'm not even going to tell you what was served up at our Texas-style American Thanksgiving last year as it usually induces some envy (but mac & cheese and green bean casserole topped with crispy onions might have made an appearance!).

This Texas Style Salsa needs to be nestled up next to everyone's guacamole and chips this Summer. It's so fresh, light and flavourful. The store-bought salsa I've been buying might as well be straight and plain tomato salsa!

The trick with this salsa is to leave it in the fridge for a day or two (if you can manage that long without eating it) to allow the flavours to come through even stronger. This salsa is a bit on the spicy side, but oddly enough, the more you let it sit in the fridge, the more manageable becomes. Alternatively, you can just use the jalapeno without the seeds or less seeds overall. The seeds in jalapenos are what brings the spice (otherwise known as ALL. THE. FIRE. EMOJIS!).

To prevent turning this Texas Style Salsa into a salsa soup, you'll want to pulse it minimally in a food processor. You may actually want to use a handheld immersion blender, which would be my preference and recommendation. Just a few quick zips and this salsa is finito!

My Texas Step Mom might disagree, but I typically like to get these Que Pasa Salted Organic Tortilla Chips! I like the fact that they're organic and non-GMO project verified, which is particularly important when sourcing corn. They also make it very easy to scoop up a ton of salsa and guac!

Texas-Style Salsa

Ingredients:

14.5oz can whole peeled tomatoes + 1/4 can water
3 jalapeños (with or without seeds, depending on preferred spice level – more seeds = more spice)
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup cilantro (packed)
1 tbsp sea salt

Directions:

Roughly chop jalapeños (with or without seeds), onion and garlic. Don't worry about this too much as it will eventually be pulsed.
Put tomatoes, the extra 1/4 cup water and remaining ingredients in a food processor or use an immersion blender. Pulse for a couple seconds but don't puree. I would recommend pulsing for a second at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.