Fermented Mixed Pepper Salsa
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~ raw, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, fermented ~
When I ferment veggies, I don’t use whey. The salt used in the recipes, mixed with the natural lactic acid bacteria found in the air and on the veggies themselves are sufficient to complete the fermenting process.
If you choose to use a whey starter or any other type, be aware that they will speed up the fermentation process. Also, the warmer the room air, the quicker it will ferment, so please be aware and taste test at different stages.
There are several keys that cause fermentation in this recipe… The simple key to successful fermentation is to make sure your vegetables are submerged in liquid.Salt is optional but it is the way I like to ferment. Salt also discourages the growth of bacteria other than lactobacilli., and it hardens the pectins in the vegetables leaving them crunchy and enhancing the flavor.
By running the peppers through the food processor, (I like this texture for a salsa), it breaks down cell walls of the veggies/peppers which help to further release their natural juices, so no additional water is required. Just make sure that there is enough liquid to cover the veggies.
If you haven’t tried fermenting, I encourage you to give this recipe a try. It is very easy to do, it comes with amazing health benefits and you just might find a new, exciting way to enjoy salsa! By the way, you don’t have to use the chillies/peppers that I did, experiment make your own creation.
Types of Peppers
The poblano is a mild chili pepper. Dried, it is called a chile ancho (“wide chile”). The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably, they can have significant heat.
Fresno ChiliesIt is similar to the Jalapeño pepper but has thinner walls. The fruit starts out bright green changing to orange and red when fully matured. A mature Fresno pepper will be conical in shape, about 2 inches long, and 1 inch in diameter at the stem. Substitutes: jalapeno (not as hot).)
The Purple Jalapeno is a smaller ornamental version of the typical jalapeno pepper. The fruit of this pepper turns a beautiful shade of dark purple and stays that way for a long time before finally ripening to red. Purple Jalapenos are somewhat larger than regular Jalapenos, but with the same thick walls and fiery heat.
Hatch Chili PepperThe fruit looks long and curvy like Anaheim chili peppers, but they are firmer and have a greater range of flavor, usually mild to medium. They have a wonderful smell in their raw state.
The Santa Fe Grande also known as “Yellow hot chili pepper” and the “Guero chili pepper”. The conical, blunt fruits ripen from a pale yellow to a bright orange or fiery red. Santa Fe Grande’s have a slightly sweet taste and are fairly mild in heat.
Serrano Pepper is typically eaten raw and has a bright and biting flavor that is notably hotter than the jalapeño pepper. Serrano peppers are also commonly used in making pico de gallo, and salsa.
Ingredients:
Yields 5 cups
- 1 lb + 13 oz peppers
- 1/3 cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Tamari, gluten-free
- 1 Tbsp raw agave nectar
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 Tbsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt
Preparation:
- Caution: Wear gloves when working with chilies, taking care not to touch your eyes, nose or other sensitive parts of your body.
- Wash the peppers, cut in half and remove the seeds.
- Rough chop the peppers and place in the food processor, fitted with the “S” blade.
- Add the vinegar, tamari, agave, garlic, oregano, and salt. Process until the desired texture is reached.
- Pour the salsa into mason jars and fill to about 1/2-1″ from the top.
- Do not ferment in metal bowls and I don’t recommend plastic containers due to possible leaching of chemicals.
- Place a coffee filter on top and secure with a rubber band.
- Tuck away out of direct sunlight for 24-72 hours, allowing it to ferment at room temp.
- Stop the fermenting process when you achieve the flavor that appeals to you.
- Once the fermenting is done, replace the coffee filter with a lid and store in the fridge for up to several months.
- A natural separation will occur; shake before each use.
Make a colorful section of peppers, just watch which ones are hot or not!
Place all the ingredients into a food processor or chop by hand.
Process until it reaches the desired texture for your salsa. Chunky or smooth, you decide.
Pack into a jar, leaving 1/2-1″ from the rim. With a spoon pack it in so the juices cover the surface.
Cover with a coffee filter and secure with a rubber band. Let it sit at room temp until the right amount of fermentation has taken place.
© AmieSue.com
Tags: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Refined Sugar Free, Soy Free, sugar free
Beautiful! Can’t wait to make!
Thanks Christine, keep me posted if you do. Have a glorious weekend. amie sue
What exactly are you referring to as the crown of a pepper? Is it the circular pith below the stem?
Hello Jeannette,
The crown of the pepper is the circular pith below the stem as you indicated. :)
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I look forward to making it. One question…at any point do you remove the crowns, or do you include them through the entire process? Will they soften during fermentation? How long will the salsa last, refrigerated? (Sorry, three questions)
Good afternoon Khadija,
Your welcome. I hope to hear how it went for you should you make the recipe. :) I leave those little crowns, never removing them. They get well blended into the salsa. As indicated in the recipe, the salsa can last months in the fridge. I don’t have an exact time frame. Just use your eyes, nose and taste buds. I basically ferment cabbage the same way and it lasts a good 3 months. By that time, it is gone. :) Blessings, amie sue
Hi, I have never tried fermenting but your salsa looks amazing and I would like to try it. Do I have to use agave or another sweetener like raw honey or maple syrup could do? And, is you version spicy, medium or mild?
Thanks
Hi Nathalie,
You can use any sweetener that you wish to. My version was on the medium sided but I took out most of the seeds. Next time, I will let a few more slip in since we like “heat”. :) Have a wonderful weekend! amie sue
I make my own homemade non-dairy kefir from homemade sesame milk, date paste and kefir grains that don’t seem to mind living in this mix. I learned that it’s the sugar in the medium that makes the grains happy and haven’t dunked them into cows milk to refresh them in ages and they are still fermenting merrily away and growing (albeit more slowly now) so I figure they are happy. I have used the results of their fermentation (the sesame kefir) to culture homemade hummus and the results were amazing so I am going to try it to make a batch of your wonderful fermented salsa. Its summer here in Australia so I shouldn’t have any problems getting it to ferment :). Thankyou for your amazing tutorials and recipes.
Thank you sharing all of that Narf7,
I haven’t used kefir grains before… so glad to hear what your experience is with them. Please keep me posted how it turns out. Many blessings, amie sue
Can’t wait to try this. Love to ferment and love salsa…looks like I’ll be growing some new varieties of peppers come spring, too……
That is wonderful Amy…. I love growing food!! Keep me posted if you make it in time. Have a wonderful weekend, amie sue
I made this recipe as a gift for my husband of Christmas.
He is a salsa and hot sauce fanatic and complained that he hasn’t found any organic kinds he likes since moving to Boise.
I substituted raw organic honey for the Agave, and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos for the Tamari. I also doubled the garlic……we LOVE garlic.
It was DELICIOUS. The whole family, kids included, were raving about the taste. It had a wonderful flavor, with medium heat, that we could all handle (I didn’t use any seeds).
It was so good that I just made another slightly larger batch last night. Let’s see if it will last longer than 2 weeks this time!
Thank you for this vegan fermented recipe…it is certain to become a staple in our home! Cheers :)
Good evening Marian,
Oh goodness… thank you for sharing this with me. I love to get feedback on how recipes work for others. I am so thrilled that this is becoming a staple for you all. :) Fermenting often seems intimidating to people, but once you try it, a person really finds out just how easy it is.
Anyway, I am rambling. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a blessed and glorious week. amie sue
Hi there Amie Sue,
I can totally try this. Just wanna know those this work well with tomatoes instead of peppers?
I have some extra tomatoes and wanna “can” some raw salsa.
I haven’t tried it Jet but I would think so. If the tomatoes are real juicy it might add to the liquid, so just watch you recipe as you go. keep me posted how it goes. :) amie sue
Sorry that it took so long for me to respond to this, but YES!!! I DID IT!!!
I made a few jars of the salsa with the tomatoes and it was wonderful and downright tasty.
That is wonderful Jet. Thank you so much for coming back to share your outcome with me/us. So happy that you are enjoying it! Blessings, amie sue
Okay, I just tucked a batch away from the sun. Will see what happens!
Happy fermenting Gayle hehe
Very good. However on the jar I have open right now there is a little white stuff (for lack of a better word). Is that usual?
Is it bubbly white stuff Gayle? That can happen when fermenting and can be skimmed off. Without seeing it, etc. it’s hard for me to say. Taste and smell will give you more info. Keep me posted. hugs, amie sue
Well, none of us got sick. :)
It wasn’t bubbly and I did skim it off. Good stuff!
Well that’s good! :) Stay vibrant and healthy!
It looks so good that I started to make a batch without thinking about what to do with it. Can you give me some idea of how to use it? What to eat it with? Thank you :)
Oh you bet Polly,
I don’t know if you eat 100% raw or not but it can be used as dip with chips / crackers / veggies. Mix it in with my Raw Cashew Cream Cheese to make a flavorful dip (https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/condiments/raw-cashew-cream-cheese/). Top my Raw Lentil Tacos with it, like a salsa (https://nouveauraw.com/raw-recipies/main-dishes/raw-lentil-tacos/). Or top off my Raw Spicy Fiesta Corn Pizza with a dollop. Basically, treat it like you would a normal salsa.
Let me know how it turns out. Blessings! amie sue
Dear Amie Sue, I was just about wondering what to do with so many chilis I grew, this recipe looks great and easy to do, gonna make it tonight. Love your site, love your recipes, happy to be a part of your membership circle. Thank you!
Love it when that happens Leya. There is something so special about growing your own food. I hope that you enjoy this recipe. Can’t wait to hear what you think of it. Have a blessed day, amie sue
I am doing a low glycemic vegan diet. I would like to try this recipe. Do you think Stevia will work for the sweetener? What if I leave the sweetener out?
Hello Hollie,
During the fermentation process, the sugars are eaten up as food so I wouldn’t use stevia in this case. It’s a very small amount. You could go ahead and leave it out if you dead set against it. Keep me posted on how it goes. blessings, amie sue
Thanks for this recipe! My husband and I recently made it with Jalapeno and Serrano peppers only because the deer ate my green chili plant. We were kind of worried about the spice level but the fermenting with the sugars and salt made a crazy good mild salsa.
It’s so goooooood! <3
Music to my ears. Thanks for the feedback and so happy to hear that you guys are enjoying it! blessings, amie sue