Use your grill to turn fresh garden produce into this tasty salsa
Everything in the Garden Grilled Salsa
30 Min
Prep Time
30 Min
Cook Time
Easy
Difficulty
If you planted a garden this spring, this is payoff time. Each day yields a bumper crop of fresh tomatoes, peppers, and the like. One of our favorite recipes for all of this fresh produce is this grilled salsa. We call it everything from the garden because the recipe is almost never exactly the same. Treat it as a general guide and add whatever happens to be ripe the day you make it. Have a few tomatillos? Toss them in. Only yellow tomatoes ripe that day? That's OK, too. Want a green salsa verde? Try adding a couple of green tomatoes and increase the number of tomatillos. If you like your salsa hotter, add more jalapenos or even a habanero to the mix. Prefer it on the mild side? Stick with sweet banana or bell peppers.
While it's hard to beat fresh salsa, this Traeger grilled version adds a nice, smoky flavor to the mix. The heat from the grill enhances the natural sugars in the vegetables. We grill them at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, using our Traeger Grill Pan to prevent smaller bits from dropping through the grates as they cook.
If you prefer your salsa smoother, go ahead and add the grilled corn to the food processor along with everything else. I like mine on the chunky side, so I blend everything, then add the grilled corn kernels and chopped cilantro at the end.
I'm not a fan of tomato or pepper seeds in my salsa, so I remove most of the seeds on both before grilling. For the tomatoes, first quarter, then use a knife to remove the seeds. For the peppers, simply halve lengthwise and scoop the seeds out.
Every good salsa recipe needs an acid to brighten things up. Lime juice works well, but so does white or red wine vinegar. Experiment to see which you prefer. The salsa will keep for a week or so in the refrigerator. You can also double or triple the recipe and can the extra using the hot water bath method for long term storage.
Ingredients
4 ripe tomatoes, quartered and deseeded
4 tomatillos, halved
3 to 4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 yellow onion, quartered
2 bell peppers, any color, halved and deseeded
2 jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and deseeded
2 ears of sweet corn
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons salt
Juice of 1 lime
Cooking Instructions
Start by placing the tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, onion, both types of peppers, and sweet corn on a grill pan. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil. Grill at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let the grilled vegetables cool.
Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, onion, peppers, salt, and lime juice to the food processor or blender. Process the mixture to your favorite salsa consistency, from chunky through smooth. Pour the salsa into a serving bowl.
Use a sharp knife to slice the grilled kernels from the corncob. Chop the cilantro. Add both to the processed salsa and blend well.
Taste for salt and add a bit more, if needed. Of course the salsa works with chips, but try adding it to eggs or a breakfast burrito for a fresh morning meal.
