Cherry Salsa with Tequila and Cilantro

Early this month, the folks at the Washington State Fruit Commission sent me an 18-pound box of dark, sweet cherries. Wonderful stuff – each cherry was huge and sweet and delicious, and – I’m proud to say – grown in Washington.

You know what? 18 pounds of cherries is a lot of damned cherries. There, I said it.

A few years back I was routinely processing 100 pounds of cherries a summer. I must be getting old, because this one box seemed to take me a two weeks to properly, lovingly tackle.

But! Effort is rewarded, and the reward is good. I made two batches of dark cherry and chocolate ice cream, Rittenhouse rye whisky-preserved cherries, cherry pit vinegar, cherry barbecue sauce and two batches of this cherry salsa.

About the salsa. It’s simple. Direct, straight-forward, uncomplicated, adjective of your choice here. You know why? Cherries don’t need much. You add some onion, lime juice, a handful of cilantro, something spicy for kick. That’s all you really need. I guild the lily with a glug of tequila to bring out those alcohol-soluble flavors, but there are no complicated spice combinations here, no exotic techniques. It’s summer, simply.

So get your cherries and let’s get to salsa making.

Making Cherry Salsa Step-by-Step

Before you start, set up to water bath can your salsa. This recipe makes about 6, half-pint jars.

You’ll need 4 pounds of dark, sweet cherries, red onion, garlic, cilantro, the small, spicy chili of your choice, lime, tequila, brown sugar and salt.

The choice of chili pepper is up to you. I tested two versions of this salsa. The first batch I made with a green serrano pepper, the second I made with a habanero. The habanero batch was better. But even one habanero lends a kick, so if you prefer a mild salsa, choose a more mild chili.

Wash, stem, pit and chop up your cherries. I recommend hand chopping cherries because if you miss a pit or two (I always do), they’ll find their way to the surface of the pile and you can pick them out. If you chop cherries in a food processor, there is inevitably one missed pit that shatters and turns into pit shards that contaminate everything. Not good.

While you’ve got your knife out, dice your onion, seed and mince your chili pepper of choice, and chop a clove of garlic.

Throw everything except the tequila, cilantro and salt a into a big, wide pan. Pan shape is important here: you want to be able to cook off extra moisture quickly, without cooking your salsa down to complete mush. Wider surface area = faster evaporation. Something roughly this shape is good.

Cook your cherry salsa down for about 10 minutes, until it thickens considerably and turns dark and glossy.

Throw the cilantro, tequila and salt into the salsa and cook until the cilantro is cooked into the salsa, about 5 minutes. Adjust your seasonings with additional salt, sugar or lime juice as desired.

Ladle salsa into jars and proceed with standard water bath canning procedures.

 

Ways To Use Cherry Salsa

• As a sauce for any white meat equivalent – chicken, pork, turkey, tofu etc.
• As a sauce for nearly any seafood – salmon, halibut, cod, shrimp, etc.
• With anything duck. Duck burgers, roasted duck, pulled duck sammie – if it involves duck, this salsa is a good addition.
• As a salad dressing base – just mix with a bit of olive oil and lime or orange juice.
• As a glaze for baked ham.
• As a spread on a vegetarian sandwich with cream cheese and lots of sprouts.
• As an alternative to cranberry sauce.
• As a dip for chips or veggies – use the salsa solo or mix it with cream cheese or sour cream.
• As a ketchup alternative on for turkey, chicken or pork burgers.
• As a marinade for pork chops, tofu, chicken or seafood – add soy sauce and ginger to pull the marinade in an Asian direction, or add a tiny pinch of allspice, freshly squeezed orange juice and oil for a more Caribbean feel.

Printable Recipe For Cherry Salsa

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