They say opposites attract, right? Well, my wife and I both love Mexican food…the problem is, I love chunky salsa, and she just likes wetting her chip. Meaning, there is no scooping going on, and so if she gets to the salsa first or more rapidly than me, I’m left with a small bowl full of tomato and onion boulders because her sponge-like chips have sopped up all the salsa juice.
Needless to say, here we are. At home I’ve made what I believe a number of different great salsa concoctions, but a number of them are turned away by her because they “have good flavor, but too many chunks.”
Thus, I’ve combed a bit for some good salsa without the chunks. And while I haven’t tried all of these (or tried to make all of these) it appears there are some people who feel the same chunky pain as my wife does when trying to enjoy a great Mexican meal.
Restaurant-Style Salsas
If at the store, your best bet for finding a chunk-free salsa is going to be anything labeled or advertised as “restaurant-style.” For me, when I read “restaurant-style,” I think of things like fresh, spicy, and lots of cilantro. My wife? Restaurant style means not a whole lot of chunks.
Simple Pace might do the trick, according to one review:
I have always been looking for a salsa at the market that wasn’t really chunky, but smooth, thick and full of flavor and I finally found it in Pace’s Restaurant Style Salsa.
Amazon
Now, am I saying there won’t be chunks? Of course not…this is salsa after all, and the only way to arrive at a finished product is to blend up a bunch of vegetables. But, when compared to their “original” alternatives, I’d expect restaurant-style salsas to feature far fewer chunks.
Sauces as Opposed to Salsas
The other option here is to simply avoid anything labeled “salsa” altogether. Meaning, if you’re looking for salsa without chunks for your tortilla chips and Mexican feast, you’d probably happier with a hot or taco sauce, verde or enchilada sauce, etc.
On that note, some of my favorite sauces to replace salsas are the simple and relatively inexpensive Herdez products. My personal favorite is this green “salsa verde” that is simply a green sauce with nice flavor.
You’ve actually seen more Herdez products than you remember given they also come in those familiar little 7 oz cans or 16 oz bottles.
If salsa verde isn’t your thing, there are a ton of other options as well:
- Chipotle Salsa Cremosa
- Roasted Poblano Salsa Cremosa
- Guacamole Salsa
Homemade Thin Salsa
How do you describe a salsa that isn’t chunky? It appears “thin” or “smooth” would be your best bet. After a few searches, here are some things I’ve found:
- Food.com “Thin Salsa” 4 Stars, 11 Reviews
- Salsa Roja Recipe – Mexican Red Table Sauce from Chili Pepper Madness
- Restaurant Style Salsa at home! from Saving Room for Dessert
- Restaurant Style Salsa from Fake Ginger 4.6 Stars, 5 Reviews
- Easy Restaurant Style Salsa from Tastes of Lizzy T 4.8 Stars, 5 Votes
But let’s also pause and end this on a logical note—if you’re already in the kitchen and making your favorite salsa, you can always just puree it or blend it down to break down the chunks, right?
