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This salsa is prettiest when you dice everything into pieces 1/4-inch square. It takes time, but people will appreciate it!

Ingredients

• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, finely diced
• 1-3 serrano peppers, finely diced
• 2 shallots, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• Juice of 1 lime or lemon
• Salt

Instructions

In a bowl, toss together the red, yellow and orange bell peppers, serrano peppers, shallots and dill. Season to taste with lime or lemon juice and salt.

Impress your guests by making this traditional red salsa with a lava-rock mortar and pestle (molcajete and tejolote). If you don’t have one, put the ingredients in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until it is smooth, but still chunky. Serve the salsa in a bowl or straight from the molcajete, with freshly fried tortilla chips.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1-2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped and seeded
• Salt

Instructions

Using the tejolote, grind the garlic to a paste in the molcajete. Add the onion and chiles and grind until blended. Add the tomatoes, crushing and grinding until smooth but still chunky. Season to taste with salt.

The uncooked tomatillos in this green salsa give it a refreshing tart flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
• Salt

Instructions

Using the tejolote, grind the garlic to a paste in the molcajete. Add the onion and chiles and grind until blended. Add the tomatillos, crushing and grinding until smooth but still chunky. Stir in the cilantro and season to taste with salt. If you don’t have a molcajete, put the ingredients in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until it is smooth, but still chunky. Serve the salsa in the molcajete, with freshly fried tortilla chips.

Sunomono is a Japanese salad made with sliced cucumbers in a tangy dressing; you may have seen it on the menu at your favorite sushi restaurant. If you dice the cucumbers, sunomono becomes a salsa that makes a lively accompaniment to fresh oysters, seared tuna steaks, or fried soft-shell crabs. Feel free to experiment with this simple recipe, adding shreds of dried seaweed or toasted sesame seeds.

Ingredients

2 small cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced (2 cups)

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes

Salt

Instructions

In a bowl, toss the cucumbers with the rice wine vinegar and sugar. Add salt to taste. Marinate the salad for at least 20 minutes. Taste again, adjust the salt and sugar, if necessary and serve.