Mexican salsa encompasses two fundamentally different preparation principles: raw salsa (cruda) — ingredients processed raw for maximum freshness and volatile aromatic character — and cooked salsa (cocida/asada) — ingredients roasted, charred, or boiled before blending, developing Maillard depth and complexity. They are not the same preparation at different temperatures; they are two different preparations with different flavour architectures.
**Salsa cruda (raw):** - Fresh tomato or tomatillo, raw serrano or jalapeño, raw white onion, cilantro — blended or minced together. The rawness is the point: volatile compounds (in the tomato's geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate pathway, in the chilli's fresh capsaicin profile, in the cilantro's linalool) are at maximum intensity. - Molcajete (stone mortar): the traditional method. Grinding produces a slightly coarser, less homogeneous texture with more cell rupture than blending — the released compounds intermingle at the cellular level. - Blender: produces a smoother, more uniform salsa. - **Service timing:** Raw salsa is made and consumed within hours — the cilantro's volatile compounds dissipate rapidly; the tomato's volatile aromatic compounds oxidise. Made-yesterday salsa has lost the primary reason for making it raw. **Salsa asada (roasted):** - Tomato, tomatillo, chilli, onion, and garlic roasted directly on a comal or under a broiler until charred in spots — the Maillard compounds produce a deep, complex flavour impossible in raw preparation. - Blended after roasting to varying degrees of smoothness. - Longer shelf life than raw salsa — the roasting has destroyed the enzymes that drive deterioration. **Tomatillo distinction:** - Tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica) — the small, green, husk-covered fruit — are not green tomatoes. They have a specific tartaric and citric acid composition that produces a bright, acidic, slightly vegetal flavour that tomatoes cannot replicate. They are the primary souring agent in green (verde) salsas and moles.
Mexico: The Cookbook