Santa Maria-Style Salsa Recipe

The Food Lab

Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.

J. Kenji López-Alt
  • Yield:Makes about 1 quart
  • Active time:15 minutes
  • Total time:15 minutes
This recipe appears in:
The Best Inexpensive Steak For The Grill Part 5: Tri-Tip

The classic tomato and celery-based salsa is an accompaniment to Santa Maria-style barbecued tri-tip.

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About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

Ingredients

  • 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced (about 2 1/2 cups total)
  • 1 stalk celery, peeled and diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 4 scallions, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1 fresh California green chili (Poblano or Hatch can be substituted), diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. 1.

    Combine tomatoes, celery, scallions, chili, cilantro, garlic, vinegar, and Worcestershire in a medium bowl and toss. Season to taste with salt. Let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour. Serve. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

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