Colourful and full of
fresh tomato flavour – it’s easy to make this live culture condiment at home!
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Ingredients for LACTO-FERMENTED TOMATO SALSA
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Yield: 4 cups
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Tomatoes, Fresh, Firm
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450g
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Yellow Capsicum
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1
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Onion, Brown or White
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1
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Jalapeno, Fresh (Optional)
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1
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Garlic Cloves
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2-3
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Salt, Non-Iodised
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1 1/2 teaspoons
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*After fermenting, you will also need:
freshly squeezed juice from 2 limes
and a small handful of fresh coriander leaves,
if desired.
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METHOD:
1. Rinse tomatoes, capsicum and jalapeno
(if adding) and drain.
2. Remove stems and seeds.
3. Finely dice tomatoes, capsicum and onion.
Finely mince jalapeno and garlic.
4. Measure tomatoes, capsicum, onion, jalapeno,
garlic and salt into a clean 1 litre (quart/4 cup capacity) glass jar, filling
the jar up to 2-3cm from the rim. Mix well. 5. Weigh salsa down to keep them submerged
during fermentation.
6. Cover jar with a hinged lid OR
airlock lid. Set aside on the bench to ferment at room temperature for
3-7 days or until desired flavour has been reached.
Remember to stir daily with a plastic spoon, and release
any gas from the jar daily if using a hinged jar.7. Taste the salsa. When you like the flavour, add
the freshly squeezed juice from 2 limes
and a small handful of fresh coriander leaves (if desired). Stir to
combine, reseal jar
with an airtight lid and store in the refrigerator.
8. Enjoy your fermented tomato salsa
immediately, or set aside in the refrigerator and consume within 4-5 months.
Drain before serving
for a thicker salsa, adding brine in a small amount until desired consistency. For
a smoother consistency, blend salsa for a few seconds.
Remember to release
any gas from the jar that has built up, even whilst being refrigerated.
NOTE:
o Use garden, roma or cherry tomatoes for this recipe – we de-seed them
(and remove the excess tomato water from garden varieties so the salsa isn’t
too runny).
o Going to blend the salsa into finer/sauce-like consistency? You
can ferment the ingredients as larger pieces in the jar instead of
spending time chopping them up in the first few steps of this recipe. Add
ingredients to jar, including salt and ensure
vegetables are covered with filtered water (preferably weighed down too) during
the fermentation period. Then drain vegetables, add coriander/lime juice and blend until it’s a smooth puree (or as desired).
Author: Megan Radaich
Image Credit: Megan Radaich
Publication: www.foodpreserving.org