PProvenance
Enter
Cooking in
Greater Victoria
Nearest city · Victoria Change
Mexican

Salsa Mexicana

A fresh, uncooked table salsa built from raw tomato, white onion, serrano chiles, and cilantro — chopped fine and seasoned with salt. This is the everyday salsa of Mexican home cooking, present on tables from Oaxaca to Sonora. Diana Kennedy's version keeps it honest: no blending, no roasting, no embellishment. The tomatoes are left unskinned, preserving texture and the slight resistance of the peel against the soft flesh. A small amount of water loosens the mixture just enough to make it pourable without diluting flavor. It is the kind of preparation that exposes its ingredients completely, so quality matters above everything else.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Servesapproximately 1¼ cups
Within reach1of 5 in Greater Victoria

One in town · four not yet within reach.

How the 5 are reached
In town
1 · white onion, finely chopped
Not yet within reach
4 · unskinned ripe tomatoes, finely chopped, chiles serranos, finely chopped, loosely packed cilantro, fairly finely chopped, water, approximately
Cook
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

¾ cup
unskinned ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
Not yet within reach of Greater Victoria · each reach is counted
3
chiles serranos, finely chopped
Not yet within reach of Greater Victoria · each reach is counted
¼ cup
loosely packed cilantro, fairly finely chopped
Not yet within reach of Greater Victoria · each reach is counted
3 tablespoons
water, approximately
Not yet within reach of Greater Victoria · each reach is counted
Salt to taste
Your own market

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Greater Victoria →

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Chop all ingredients by hand to a fine, even dice. Do not use a food processor or blender.
2
Combine tomatoes, white onion, serrano chiles, and cilantro in a bowl.
From the canon — The serrano is a small, smooth-skinned fresh chile belonging to Capsicum annuum, the species domesticated in centre-east Mexico perhaps 6,500 years ago. Serrano →
3
Add water a tablespoon at a time, stirring, until the salsa reaches a loose but not watery consistency.
4
Season with salt, taste, and adjust.
5
Serve at room temperature. Best eaten the same day it is made.
III

What to Pour

Pouring for British Columbia · ·

The pairing
Markus Molitor Zeltinger Sonnenuhr Riesling Auslese
Markus Molitor · Mosel
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
From British Columbia
Ella Premiere Sparkling Brut Rosé (NV)
Maverick Estate Winery · Golden Mile Bench
Maverick Estate Winery · Oliver →
Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
Pure Amazake (Made to Order)
Amazake Co.
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Traditional

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar IV
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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