5-Minute Fermented Salsa Trick

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10/19/2022Updated: 10/19/2022

The fermented cilantro salsa and super raw salsa recipes I posted awhile back are incredibly delicious and far healthier alternatives to jarred shelf-stable salsa from the store.

What if you are so schedule crunched that you don’t even have the time to chop up all the ingredients?

In that case, let me share how to make 5 minute fermented salsa!

How to Ferment Fresh Salsa from the Store

All you need is fresh salsa from the refrigerated section of your local health food store or deli and starter culture.

As long as the ingredients are fresh and raw with no additives, you can use it to make a cultured super food in minutes! As a bonus, you are supporting local artisanal vendors.

“Fresh and raw” means that shelf stable salsa is not a candidate for this recipe. The salsa must be in the refrigerated section.

Just transfer the salsa to a glass jar and stir in your starter culture of choice. I prefer to use liquid whey as that is the most inexpensive choice that produces reliable results.

This article describes the methods for making fresh whey if you don’t have any in the fridge already.

If you are dairy-free, you can use one of these dairy-free culturing methods instead.

That’s all there is to it!

You now have no excuse! If you love salsa, you must ferment it from now on. It adds additional nutrition and preserves it so it lasts longer in the refrigerator.

Best of all, the culturing process adds probiotics and enzymes to whatever meal you serve it with. This enhances digestion for more comfort and better assimilation of nutrients.

Fermentation Tip

Note that the fermented store salsa is cultured for a slightly shorter timeframe than if you had chopped all the ingredients fresh yourself.

It’s cultured for 36 hours instead of the usual 48-72 hours.

This adjustment is to compensate for using raw salsa from the store has been potentially sitting in the refrigerated section at least a few days before you purchased it. Fermenting any longer than 36 hours tends to result in a taste that is a bit too sour.

Serving Suggestions

I suggest serving the salsa with a side of sprouted corn tortillas or baked sourdough chips for a perfectly tasty and healthy combo!

I like to sometimes melt cheese over the tortillas in a serving pan and then top with the fermented salsa after removing from the oven for probiotic nachos!