Ripe tomatoes, fresh chilli, coriander and lime make a bright, chunky salsa. Draining excess tomato juice first keeps the finished mixture fresh rather than watery.
Ingredients
- 500g, firm and ripe Ripe tomatoes
- 1 small, deseeded for milder salsa Fresh red chilli
- 20g, leaves and tender stems chopped Fresh coriander
- 1 small, about 80g Red onion
- 1, zest and 2 tbsp juice Lime
- 1/2 tsp, or to taste Fine salt
- 1/8 tsp Black pepper
Method
- Quarter the tomatoes and remove the watery seed pockets with a teaspoon if they are especially juicy. Dice the flesh into 1cm pieces and leave in a sieve for 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Finely dice the red onion. Halve the chilli lengthways, scrape out the seeds and pale membrane for a milder salsa, then finely chop it; wash your hands and board well afterwards.
- Chop the coriander leaves and tender stems. Zest the lime and squeeze out 2 tbsp juice.
- Put the drained tomato, onion, chilli and coriander in a bowl. Add the lime zest and juice, salt and black pepper, then fold together gently so the tomato pieces keep their shape.
- Leave for 10 minutes at room temperature for the flavours to mingle. Taste and add more salt, lime juice or a little of the reserved chilli if needed.
- Serve fresh. If it stands longer, keep it covered in the fridge and stir gently before serving; it is at its best on the day it is made.
Allotment tip
Taste the chilli before deciding how much to use; heat varies widely, so start with less and add finely chopped pieces after the first taste.