Blasphemous, I know.
Here’s the catch: restaurant salsas almost always include lime juice and cilantro, and I’m not keen on them. I don’t mind the tang of lime, but I prefer a salsa with some body that clings to the chip.
Honestly, I’d go so far as to say that a tortilla chip is basically a crunchy vehicle for the salsa to hitch a ride on. I’m perfectly okay not tasting the chip at all.
And cilantro — I can’t stand it.
I enjoy cooking with fresh herbs. Give me rosemary or parsley or even dill with my chicken or fish, and I’m a happy snacker. But I’ve yet to find a recipe where cilantro doesn’t dominate every other flavor.
Come on, cilantro. You’re not Diana Ross.
Anyway, my point is that practically every restaurant salsa is off the table for me. Store-bought is my preference.
Of course, we’re Savinliers. Just because I pass on the free salsa doesn’t mean I want to overspend on jarred options.
So we went to Trader Joe’s to sample a few different salsas. The only thing these four jars had in common was the price: each one was under $3.
We purchased all four and sampled them so you don’t have to waste money testing them yourself.
Garlic Chipotle Salsa — $2.99
This layered and tasty salsa was the team favorite. We held an impromptu tasting in the office kitchen and, with few exceptions, everyone enjoyed this jar.
Yes, it’s the priciest of the group, but at 16 ounces it was also the largest. The other jars contained just 12 ounces.
If you like garlic and chipotle peppers, this is for you. My only gripe is that the package claimed a medium heat level, which I didn’t really detect.
Organic Tomatillo & Roasted Yellow Chili Salsa — $2.49
Two coworkers called this salsa “meh.” Another said it tasted like nothing at all.
I expected more from the organic option. While it wasn’t unpleasant, there was nothing especially memorable about it either. Let’s move on.
Spicy, Smoky, Peach Salsa — $2.29
Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.
I expected a touch of sweetness and a hint of smokiness with a little heat. The label promised all that. I experienced none of it.
The worst part wasn’t even that it failed to meet the label’s claims. The bigger issue was how saccharine this salsa was. It wasn’t merely natural peach sweetness. It was cloying and slightly artificial. A look at the ingredient list explained it: TJ’s added cane sugar to punch it up.
To me, it would have been much better if it simply tasted like peaches. Instead it was almost as sugary as peach pie. That might pair well with fish or poultry, but it’s unexpected on a tortilla chip.
That said, it wasn’t all bad. Texturally, this was my favorite. There were sizable pieces of peach in every scoop, right to the bottom of the jar.
Salsa Autentica — $1.79
This was the plainest and least expensive of the set. And honestly, it ended up being my top pick.
Although all four jars were labeled “medium” on Trader Joe’s heat scale, this was the only one that actually had a kick.
This is the kind of salsa I expect. It wasn’t chunky like the peach variety, but it was thick enough to adhere to the chip.
The only critique from my tasting crew was that the tomato flavor was a touch overpowering.
Honorable Mention
Clearly, I wasn’t taken with the Spicy, Smoky, Peach Salsa. But I could see it being enjoyable with a few tweaks. I combined the peach with the Salsa Autentica, and it was a revelation. (About two parts peach to three parts Salsa Autentica.)
The Autentica added the heat the peach lacked and dramatically toned down the sweetness. If you can spare a couple extra dollars for your snack fund, this blend is a winner.
Desiree Marlow (@desi_marlow) is a staff writer at Savinly. This tasting reminded her how basic her salsa preferences are. Her favorite non-TJs salsa is Pace Picante. Sad.
