This recipe evolved through my attempts to recreate the salsa served at the Topanga Cafe in Vancouver.
Andrea’s salsa
(makes about 1 cup)
- 450g tin of whole tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 a chilli pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup coriander, chopped
- Drain the juice from the tin of tomatoes.
- Blitz the garlic and chilli in a mini-chopper (or chop finely).
- Add the whole tomatoes and pulse until they are broken up, but still have some texture. (Or do this by hand by mashing with a fork.)
- Stir in the cumin, lemon juice and salt to taste.
- Chop the coriander, and stir it in.
- Leave the salsa to sit for half an hour for the flavours to marry before serving.
Whilst you were here I thought that it was lime rather than lemon
I always go with lemon when I can — I find there’s a slightly floral sweetness to lime that doesn’t work as well with the garlic/chilli/cumin flavours…
Topanga Cafe used lime, I’m 99% certain. It was the best salsa I’ve ever had in all my life, through all my travels. I’d even buy tubs of it to take home. I love it 🙂 Friends worked there forever. It was my favorite Vancouver eatery and a Kits icon. We all grew up in Kits. Later as adults we lived nearby, we’d walk a few block and we’d be there every week. I sure miss it and all the Topanga gang.
I’m sure you’re right, and I’m going to make my next batch with lime to see the difference. It’s the best salsa I ever had as well, and their chips. The nachos supreme… Those tables… It was my favourite Vancouver eatery as well, and after I moved away I always ate there on visits home. I couldn’t believe it when I arrived one summer to discover it had burned down two nights before. The staff seldom changed – it must have been a good place to work – and I got to recognise some of the regulars. We probably crossed paths 🙂