Fermented salsa is a highlight of fermented vegetables. Capture the vibrance of summer and enjoy it during the gloomy winter season.

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There is something magical in fresh tomato salsa. How its zesty, lively taste conjures up sentiments of summer sunshine, of warm weather and spending time outdoors, of lively gatherings, and BBQs.
Besides, it is one of my most favorite condiments for meat, fish, and baked potatoes and in my opinion, the best dip for tortilla chips.
Jump to the Fermented Salsa Recipe
Make the best fermented salsa
The best tomato salsa is made with summer ripe tomatoes, fresh from the garden or farmer’s market, just bursting with juice, and sweet, tangy flavors, and brimming with the warmth of summer sunshine. Add to that spicy hot peppers, crunchy onions, fragrant cilantro, sprightly lime and pungent garlic, and you’ll arrive at a flavor explosion that will rock your world!
Unfortunately a delicious fresh tomato salsa is very seasonal. Because tomatoes from the grocery in the middle of winter do not do the fruit justice and produce a sadly inferior salsa, which I don’t even find worth the trouble making.
Enter wild fermented tomato salsa! Wow, yes! It is salsa on steroids! Preserved during the height of the season, capturing all of the flavor sensations of fresh salsa plus adding all the sprightly and powerful probiotic, gut-friendly properties that lacto-fermentation imparts on foods.
Take a jar of this and open it during the gloomy winter season, and it will all come back to you! The sunshine, the warmth and the memories. You’ll find the scent intoxicating, the colors a feast for the eyes and just a small taste will get the rest of your senses reeling!
How to make fermented salsa
It is so easy to make this delicious salsa. All you need are a few containers, a cutting board, a knife, the vegetables you want to include, some fresh cilantro herb and salt.

Equipment to make fermented tomato salsa:
Fermentation container
I like to use a half gallon mason jar, but you can adjust the recipe to use any size jar. I’ve been really impressed lately with the Bormioli Fido jars. They are self venting and keep oxygen out without a special lid. They come in a lot of sizes too. Plus they look so cool and when you’re done with fermenting, they make great storage containers. In any case, the best material for fermenting is a container of glass or ceramic. Don’t use metal, it can adversely react with the salt and lactic acid. In addition, if you use plastic, make sure it’s bpa-free and food grade, and ceramic containers must have a lead-free glaze. I’ve used 5 gallon food grade plastic buckets or a cambro container for larger fermentation batches in the past, but I prefer glass.
Fermentation weight

I highly recommend you use a fermentation weight! You can ferment salsa without it, but you’ll need to make sure to push the junks under the brine regularly to keep the top ones from getting mushy. Mushiness and possibly spoilage is more likely to happen without a fermentation weight. My favorite is a glass weight that fits into the opening of a wide mouth mason jar. You can also get a ceramic weight for larger jar openings, they come in several sizes. Alternatively, use a plastic baggie filled with salt-brine, marbles or small rocks. Or you can use a clean rock or a plate matched to the size of your container.
A lid

I recommend a fermentation lid or airlock lid for any fermentation recipe. Using a fermentation lid can reduce chances of mold growing on top and spoilage. They keep the oxygen out and allow the fermentation gasses to escape. If you don’t have a fermentation lid, use a mason jar lid that you can screw on just finger-tight and the gasses will push their way out on their own. You can also use a piece of cloth, such as butter muslin, or a piece of a floursack towel secured with a rubber band, but you’ll need to closely monitor the fermentation.
A cutting board and knife, blender or food processor
You can choose to chop or blend your vegetables. I prefer hand chopping all of the ingredients, but if you like the pieces very small, you can get some help from a manual chopper or electric food processor. If you prefer it to be a sauce, then use a blender or a Vitamix.
A large bowl to mix the ingredients
Be sure that it is large enough to fit your whole batch.
A funnel
A wide mouth funnel is very helpful to get your mix of vegetables into your jar. Plastic versions are usually available in any grocery store canning section.
A large spoon
This is for mixing and for transferring the salsa into the jar.
Ingredients to make fermented salsa:

Tomatoes
Any tomatoes will work. If you like a lot of juice, use juicy tomatoes such as brandywines (my absolute, forever favorites!!!), or striped Germans, or other heirloom or salad tomatoes. But if you like less juice, pick romas, San Marzanos, oxhearts and other meaty and dry tomatoes. And cherry tomatoes work too. Though the key is, to choose summer fresh tomatoes from your garden or from a farmer’s market. Out of season tomatoes are best avoided. If you have a lot of cherry tomatoes, you can use them too, but I like them better fermented in brine.
Peppers
Any peppers will work. I like to mix a few green peppers and a few red ripe peppers. Plus, if I have orange or yellow peppers, I like to includes a few too, they add more color to the mix.
Jalapenos or Serrano peppers
Here is where you will have to adjust to your preference. I love spicy food, so I like to add a generous handful of jalapenos to a half gallon jar of salsa. However, if you’re not a hot and spicy food lover, or if you’re cooking for kids, use just one or two hot peppers, or try mild jalapenos, or leave them out all together. Incidentally, my youngest daughter loooved hot and spicy foods when she was a toddler, so yes, tailor it to who’ll be eating it.
Onions
Any onions will do. Red onions, white onions, sweet onions or even green onions. I had a bad onion year this year and so I used a bunch of green onions for my salsa this time.
Garlic
This is another ingredient that can be adjusted to preference. I’d suggest at least 2 cloves of garlic for a mild garlic flavor, but don’t be shy if you like garlic. I added about 4 large cloves to my jar of salsa.
Cilantro
Add as much as you like, but half a cup of chopped cilantro greens for a half gallon batch of salsa is about perfect.
Salt
Use about 2-3 tablespoons of salt for a half gallon batch of salsa. I used 2 tablespoons, but if your room temperature is very warm or if you prefer more salt, taste it, it’s fine to use up to 4 tablespoons. Too much salt can halt fermentation.
The salt you use should be additive free, so check the box and avoid table salt. My favorites are Redmond’s Real Salt, Himalayan pink salt , or Celtic sea salt. Because all of these contain essential trace minerals, which I prefer as a more healthy choice. Plain canning and pickling salt will work as well, but it is just sodium chloride and does not add these important trace minerals to foods.
Lime Juice
If you can get fresh limes, use them! They are much better than bottled. I use bottled lime juice mostly, because it’s really hard to find fresh organic limes here in my area. So, use the juice of one lime per half gallon of salsa or to your preference. Add half of this amount and taste it before adding it all. Lime juice gives your salsa a great fresh and fruity flavor. But don’t try to make the salsa tart with the addition of lime juice, the lactic acid produced in fermentation imparts tartness too.
Optional: Starter Culture
I do not normally use starter culture, but you can use a few tablespoonfuls of brine from a completed vegetable ferment of any vegetable. Otherwise, you can also use whey. Furthermore, if you do add starter culture, you can reduce the amount of salt you use in your salsa down to about 3-4 teaspoons per half gallon. Do not completely omit the salt.
Optional Add-ons
Try adding cooked black beans and corn for a fermented salsa salad variation!
Step-by-step fermented salsa recipe instructions:
01 Prepare Your Vegetables

Tomatoes: I don’t remove my tomato skins, but if you don’t like pieces of skin on your tomatoes, you can dip them in boiling water for a few seconds and then pull the skin off easily.
Core and chop your tomatoes to the desired size. Otherwise, if you prefer really small pieces or a blended consistency, you can use a blender or food processor. Then place the chopped or blended tomatoes into a large bowl.
Remove the seeds and chop the sweet peppers and hot peppers. If you like more heat, keep the seeds of the hot peppers in the salsa.
Peel and chop the onions and garlic.

Remove the tough stems from your cilantro and chop the leaves.
Add all the vegetables to the tomatoes in the bowl.
02 Add Salt
Add 2 tablespoons of salt per half gallon of ingredients. However, if you like it saltier, you can add a little more, up to 4 tablespoons.

03 Add Lime Juice
Add the juice of half a lime or one-half tablespoon bottled, and taste it. Since the strength of lime juice can vary, you can add more after tasting if you think it needs it. Avoid adding too much to make it taste tart. The fermentation will add tartness too.
04 Mix Well And Pour Into Your Mason Jar
Mix the ingredients well. You should notice the juices being released.

With the help of a wide-mouth funnel, if you have it, pour the salsa into your half gallon mason jar or into two quart jars. You should have plenty of juice to press the solids below the surface.
However if you used dry, roma-type tomatoes and there is not a lot of juice, use a tamper to press the ingredients down gently. This should give you enough juice to cover the vegetables. You can also add a small amount of filtered water if necessary.
Leave about an inch or so of headspace in your jar.

05 Top With A Fermentation Weight

A fermentation weight will keep the vegetables submerged in the brine. And it is important that they stay below the brine surface away from any oxygen, which will soften and possibly spoil them. In effect, lactic acid fermentation needs anaerobic conditions.
06 Seal The Jar With A Fermentation Lid
If you have a fermentation lid, use it. It will reduce chances of spoilage. But if you remain vigilant, you can successfully ferment with a regular mason jar lid or even a cloth, secured with a rubber band.
07 Place Your Jar In A Darkish Place To Ferment
Keep your ferment out of direct sunlight and try to ferment at a temperature of at least 65 degrees. I kept mine at about 75 during the day. Nighttime temps went below 60, which is a little cool for the critters, but when they warmed back up the next day, they got right back to working hard. Keep an eye on it, and if you use a tight fitting, sealing lid, burp it once a day after it starts to develop bubbles.

two days. Mine took three days, it has been getting
pretty cool here at night and not as hot during the day.
Your ferment will get a little cloudy. That’s normal and a good thing. It may bubble over when it gets active, so place a catchment container under the jar, such as a bowl, or plate, or you can use a towel if your counter can get wet.

three days old on when I took the picture. Time to
place it into cold storage.
08 Check For Done-ness
After 2-3 days your ferment should have a nice tangy fermentation smell and should be very lively. If your room is on the cool side, it may take another day or two.
Taste your ferment a day after it starts to bubble and has a strong fermentation smell. Then you’ll find it to be a little fizzy as well. Salsa will get soft and mushy if you ferment it at room temperaure for much longer than that, which is still fine to eat, but it won’t have that fresh salsa texture anymore.
I like to put it into the refrigerator or basement about a day after the bubbling starts. Once you place it into cold storage, the microbes slow way down and your fermentation will be stable for long-term keeping. Salsa stays fresh for at least 3-4 months in cold storage. After that it will still be great to eat for a year or more, but may become very tart and possibly softer.

Serving Suggestion For Your Salsa
I love to eat salsa as a “soup”, just straight up! But it is such a great condiment too.
- Try it on baked potatoes with some sourcream, clabber cheese or blended queso fresco!
- One of my favorite fish dishes is steamed Cod or Halibut topped with salsa and avocado. Super good!
- Of course this salsa goes with tortilla chips like they were made for each other!
- Try a seven layer dip with refried beans, sour cream or blended queso fresco or clabber cheese mixed with taco seasoning, guacamole, salsa, grated cheddar cheese, green onions and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.
- Try salsa as a “salad dressing”. It jazzes up your lettuce, just drizzle with a little olive oil and top with grated cheddar cheese, and/or queso fresco cubes.
- Use as a side or on top of any Mexican dishes like enchiladas, tacos, burritos or fajitas.
- It is great as a side or on top of any cooked meat dishes. Because the enzymes and probiotics in fermented foods will help improve the digestion of proteins in your cooked meat dishes.
- Add pizzazz to your breakfast egg dishes. Omelet or scrambled eggs with salsa is super good and do try some huevos rancheros!
In conclusion
Lacto-fermented salsa is such a great way to preserve the flavors of summer and savor them during the dark, gloomy days of late fall and winter. You’ll be adding the vitamins and nutrients that are present in fresh vegetables, even when they are out of season, and you’ll also gain the benefits of probiotic rich food for the support of gut health and the immune system. What better way than this, to preserve fresh, uncooked delicious salsa.
Leave me a comment below if you try this recipe. What are your favorite salsa ingredients? What is your favorite way to serve salsa?
I’ll be posting more fermented food recipes in the weeks to come. Stay tuned by receiving my food for life garden newsletter!
Other fermented recipes you might like:
Fermented Salsa Verde – Try this bright and fresh tasting green salsa. It’s so good on your grilled meats, with baked potatoes, as a dip or condiment, as part of a salad dressing, and with any Mexican dishes!
Fermented Chili Paste – Here is a great way to preserve your end-of-the season harvest of green peppers. This paste will last all year in your refrigerator to use as a condiment, seasoning, or topping.
Fermented Hot Sauce With Cantaloupe – How to make a delicious fermented hot sauce that is great with meat, fish, eggs and on sandwiches. What a great way to use some cantaloupe and spicy peppers.
Fermented Garlic – Lacto-fermented garlic paste is kind of a special food. It’s the ultimate convenience food and health supplement. But besides that, it gets better as it ages. Just like a fine wine.
Lacto fermented sauerkraut – Famously healthy and so tasty! Make your own from scratch.
Fermented Onions – You’ll love these tasty, tangy onions. Try them plain or spiff up any sandwiches, salads and burgers with a ready supply of these onions sitting in your fridge.
Fermented Cucumber Pickles – How to ferment your excess of cucumbers to enjoy all year long and with the added benefit of improving your gut health with probiotics.
Fermented vegetables – How to ferment your summer’s bounty to enjoy it all year long and with the added benefit of improving your gut health with probiotics. Learn the basic skill of fermenting any kinds of vegetables and get the science behind it too.
Try making Fermented Eggs! A probiotic, nutritious, delicious snack that you can keep in your refrigerator for several weeks. It’s there, ready to satisfy that food craving with something that’s good for you. And you’lI love eggs with salsa, or salsa with eggs!
Fermented Basil Paste – Keep a jar of this in your refrigerator all year, to season your italian dishes. Preserve not only the herb, but also its aroma and pungent basil flavor. It’s one of my favorite ways to preserve basil.
Make your own Ginger Beer with wild fermentation. The traditional way to make this fizzy, tasty soft drink that will knock your socks off with flavor and boost your health too.
Pin the fermented salsa recipe for later!

Fermented Salsa Recipe
Equipment
- A fermentation container -This recipe is for a half gallon mason jar, but you can adjust the recipe to use any size jar. Best is a glass container. Don't use metal and if you use plastic, make sure it's bpa-free and food grade.
- Fermentation weight – Optional but highly recommended! My favorite is a glass weight that fits into the opening of a wide mouth mason jar. You can also get a ceramic weight for larger jar openings. Alternatively, use a plastic baggie filled with salt brine, marbles or small rocks. Or you can use a clean rock or a plate matched to the size of your container.
- A lid – I recommend a fermentation lid or airlock lid for fermenting. Or, use a mason jar lid and screw it on just finger-tight and the gasses will push their way out on their own. You can also use a piece of cloth, secured with a rubber band.
- A large bowl to mix the ingredients
- Cutting board and knife – You can chop or blend your vegetables. I prefer hand chopping all of the ingredients, but if you like the pieces very small, you can get some help from a manual chopper or electric food processor. If you prefer it to be a sauce, then use a blender.
- A wide mouth funnel
- A large spoon
Ingredients
- 6 large tomatoes – Any tomatoes will work.
- 2 medium peppers – Any peppers will work. Try mixing green, red, orange, and yellow peppers to add more color to the mix.
- 2-10 jalapeno or serrano peppers – Adjust to your preference. If you're not a hot and spicy food lover, use just one or two serranos or jalapenos, or try mild jalapenos, or leave them out all together.
- 1 large Onion – Any onions will do; red, white, yellow, green or sweet onions.
- 4 cloves Garlic – Adjusted to preference. I'd suggest 4 cloves of garlic for a nice garlic flavor.
- 1 bunch Cilantro – Add as much as you like, but half a cup of chopped cilantro greens for a half gallon batch of salsa is about perfect.
- 2-3 tbsp Redmond's Real Salt, Himalayan pink salt, Celtic sea salt, or pickling salt – I use 2 tablespoons of salt for a half gallon batch of salsa. If your room temperature is very warm or if you prefer more salt (taste it!) it's fine to use up to 4 tablespoons. The salt you use should be additive free, so avoid table salt.
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice or the juice of 1 Lime – If you can get fresh limes, use them! They are much better than bottled. Use the juice of one lime per half gallon of salsa or to your preference.
- 2 tbsp Optional: Starter Culture – I do not normally use starter culture, but you can use a few tablespoonfuls of brine from a completed vegetable ferment. Otherwise, you can also use whey. With added starter culture, you can reduce the amount of salt by half.
- 1-2 cups Optional Add-ons – Try adding cooked black beans and corn for a fermented salsa salad variation!
Instructions
- Prepare Your VegetablesTomatoes: I don't remove tomato skins, but if you don't like skin on your tomatoes, you can dip them in boiling water for a few seconds and then pull the skin off easily. Core and chop your tomatoes to the desired size. Or, if you prefer really small pieces or a blended consistency, you can use a blender or food processor. Then place the chopped or blended tomatoes into a large bowl.Remove the seeds and chop the sweet peppers, and hot peppers. If you like more heat, keep the seeds of the hot peppers in the salsa.Peel and chop the onions and garlic.Remove the tough stems from your cilantro and chop the leaves.Add all the vegetables to the tomatoes in the bowl.
- Add SaltAs a rule, add 2 tablespoons of salt per half gallon of ingredients. However, if you like it saltier, you can add a little more, up to 4 tablespoons.
- Add Lime JuiceAdd the juice of half a lime or one-half tablespoon bottled, and taste it. Since the strength of lime juice can vary, you can add more after tasting if you think it needs it.
- Mix Well And Pour Into Your Mason JarMix the ingredients well. You should notice the juices drawing from the vegetables. With the help of a wide-mouth funnel, if you have it, pour the salsa into your half gallon mason jar or into two quart jars. You should have plenty of juice to press the solids below the surface. However if you used dry, roma-type tomatoes and there is not a lot of juice, use a tamper to press the ingredients down gently. This should give you enough juice to cover the vegetables. Add a little filtered water if neccessary. Leave about at least an inch of headspace in your jar.
- Top With A Fermentation WeightThis will keep the vegetables submerged in the brine. They need to stay below the brine surface away from any oxygen, which could soften and possibly spoil them. Fermentation needs anaerobic conditions.
- Seal The Jar With A Fermentation LidIf you have a fermentation lid, use it. It will reduce chances of spoilage. But if you're observant, you can successfully ferment with a regular mason jar lid, screwed on just finger-tight or even a cloth, secured with a rubber band.
- Place Your Jar In A Darkish Corner To FermentKeep your ferment out of direct sunlight and at a temperature of at least 65 degrees. I kept mine at about 75 during the day. Nighttime temps went below 60, which is a little cool for the critters, but when they warmed back up the next day, they got right back to work. Keep an eye on it, and if you use a tight fitting, sealing lid, burp it once a day after it starts to develop bubbles. Your ferment will get a little cloudy. That's normal and a good thing. It may bubble over when it gets active, so it helps to place a catch container under the jar, such as a bowl, or plate, or a towel if your counter can get wet.
- Check For Done-nessAfter 2-3 days your ferment should have a nice tangy fermentation smell and should be very lively. If your room is on the cool side, it may take another day or two. Taste your ferment a day after it starts to bubble and has a strong fermentation smell. It will be a little fizzy as well. Salsa will get soft and mushy if you ferment it much longer than that, which is still fine to eat, but it won't have that fresh salsa texture anymore. I like to put it into the refrigerator or basement about 1-2 days after the bubbling starts. Once you place it into cold storage, the microbes slow way down and your fermentation will be stable enough for long-term keeping. Salsa should stay fresh for at least 3-4 months in cold storage. After that it will still be great to eat for a year or more, but may become more tart and possibly softer.
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Wide mouth funnel
Manual chopper
Electric food processor
Blender
Vitamix
Bormioli Fido jars
Cambro bpa-free container
Butter muslin
Floursack towel
Fermentation tops
Airlocks
Lime juice
Redmond’s Real Salt
Himalayan pink salt
Celtic sea salt
Glass weights
Ceramic weights
Acacia wood tamper
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