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This fresh tomato salsa is bright, balanced, and intentionally simple. The red onion is lightly pickled in red wine vinegar first, which softens its bite and gives the salsa a smoother, more rounded flavor.
With ripe tomatoes, fresh cilantro, lime, and just enough heat from chiles, this is an everyday salsa that works for chips, tacos, grilled meats, or spooned over eggs. This recipe is inspired by NYT Cooking but with tested adjustments to give it just a bit more flavor and fun!
Fresh Tomato Salsa with Pickled Red Onion
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: None (no-cook)
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
This tomato salsa starts by lightly pickling red onion in red wine vinegar to mellow its sharpness before mixing it with tomatoes and herbs. The result is fresh and vibrant without being harsh. Cumin adds subtle warmth, while lime juice and oil tie everything together.
Important Tools for This Recipe:
- Paring knife
- Cutting board
- Pyrex Essentials Glass Mixing Bowls (the medium size to mix the salsa and the small bowl to pickle the onions)
Ingredients
- 1/4 small red onion, very finely chopped (I prefer the look of the red onion in the salsa, but white onion is fine here too)
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 lb fresh ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1–3 jalapeños or serrano chiles, finely minced (seeds removed for less heat)
- 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1–3 teaspoons fresh lime juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
Lightly Pickle the Onion
- Chop the red onion and place in a small bowl. Add water until the chopped red onions are covered in water. We love using this onion chopper to make this step a breeze.
- Add the red wine vinegar and gently stir.
- Let sit for 5–10 minutes to soften the onion’s sharpness.
- Pour out the liquid and gently rinse the onions under water using this fine mesh sieve.
Make the Salsa
- Add the pickled onions to the medium glass bowl.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, chiles, and cilantro.
- Add the lime juice, avocado oil, cumin, and a pinch of salt (to taste). We love this citrus juicer to make juicing the limes easy!
- Mix gently until combined well.
- Taste and adjust salt, lime, and heat as needed.
Notes
- Use the ripest tomatoes possible for best flavor.
- Start with fewer chiles and add more to control heat.
- This salsa is best the day it’s made but holds well for several hours in the refrigerator.
Fresh Tomato Salsa FAQs
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