Salsa a la Criolla is brimming with fresh tomatoes, red onions, red bell pepper, garlic, red wine vinegar, and extra virgin olive oil. This classic, incredibly flavourful, delicious sauce and side dish is the perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken breast or thigh, beef, fish, sausage, or pork.
Salsa a la criolla translates to Creole Sauce and has its roots in the diverse ethnic heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean; combining its Indigenous, European, and African food cultures. Also known as Argentinian Salsa Criolla, there are about as many ways to make criolla sauce as there are Latin cultures.
In Argentina it’s made differently than Puerto Rican salsa criolla where it’s different than Peruvian style where it’s different than Colombian and so on and so forth… But it is often served with empanadas in Argentina and is also frequently paired with chimichurri.
Our version of Salsa a la Criolla is Argentinian in style and universal in magnificence. Our salsa criolla consists of diced tomatoes, bell peppers, and minced onions, parsley, oregano, and garlic all macerated in a tangy mixture of red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Salsa Criolla
If you haven’t had Salsa Criolla before, you’re in for a huge revelation but if you have, you know what an utterly perfect side dish this is for everything from grilled to roasted to fried meats, fish, or vegetables. It’s also used to top sandwiches. And while it’s not at all traditional, I love it on tortilla chips!
The ingredient list may look long, but it’s all easy to find. Much of it is likely to be on hand in your home anyway. Here’s a list of the ingredients and equipment you need to whip up your very own Salsa a la Criolla.
Ingredients:
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Fresh Bell Peppers (Red bell peppers, green bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, and orange bell peppers are all acceptable.)
- Fresh Onions (Purple onions, red onions, and white onions are all good for your salsa a la criolla.)
- Fresh Garlic
- Jalapeño Pepper (or substitute a pinch of cayenne pepper)
- Parsley
- Oregano
- Red Wine Vinegar (You can substitute lime juice or white vinegar if necessary.)
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Equipment:
Please note it is not traditional to use a food processor or blender, but they can be used to pulse the ingredients if you have trouble dicing vegetables or are uncomfortable doing so. A hand chopper is another good choice for making Salsa a la criolla if you have difficulty chopping.
However you plan to chop these vegetables, you might want a little refreshment. Pour yourself a nice cocktail like a Ranch Water or Finnish Long Drink and get chopping!
Salsa a la Criolla
Whisk together the salt and red wine vinegar in a mixing bowl until the salt is dissolved. Toss the diced onion in it to coat thoroughly and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Cut the tomato in half along the equator and gently use your hands to scoop out the seeds. You don’t need to be too thorough, just get the bulk of them out.
Discard the seeds and dice the remaining tomato flesh.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. This can be served immediately, but is much better if allowed to rest at room temperature -tightly covered- for at least one hour before serving.
Store leftovers in a jar or other container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Salsa a la Criolla
Rate RecipeEquipment
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 white or sweet onion peeled and diced
- 2 to 3 large tomatoes
- 2 bell peppers any colour, seeded and diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem removed, seeded and minced
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/4 teaspoon dry whole leaf oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon Black pepper or more to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together the salt and red wine vinegar in a mixing bowl until the salt is dissolved. Toss the diced onion in it to coat thoroughly and let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Cut the tomato in half along the equator and gently use your hands to scoop out the seeds. You don’t need to be too thorough, just get the bulk of them out.
- Discard the seeds and dice the remaining tomato flesh.
- Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. This can be served immediately, but is much better if allowed to rest at room temperature -tightly covered- for at least one hour before serving.
- Store leftovers in a jar or other container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
ANO says
This looks very good!!What happens after you scoop the seeds out of the tomato? Do you discard the insides and just chop the tomato hull or do you add the insides to the salsa? Thank you!
Rebecca says
Hi ANO! Yes, you discard the seeds! Thank you for mentioning that. I’ll go clarify it right away. 🙂
Peggy A Thomsen says
do you think this recipe is a candidate for “canning”?
Rebecca says
Hi Peggy- I probably would not can this because -at least for me- part of what makes Salsa Criolla so wonderful is the freshness of it. I think I’d probably prefer it made with mid-winter plum tomatoes over canned as far as texture goes, too. 🙂