Salsa is a popular condiment that adds flavor and spice to many dishes. It’s often served alongside chips, tacos, burritos, and more. Salsa gets its signature kick from ingredients like chili peppers, onions, and garlic. But sometimes store-bought salsa can be too spicy for some people’s tastes. If you find your salsa is just too hot to handle, you may wonder if adding water can tone down the heat level.
What makes salsa spicy?
The compounds that give salsa its spiciness are called capsaicinoids. These are found in hot peppers like jalapeños, habanero, and serrano peppers. Capsaicinoids bind to pain receptors in the mouth, which register as a burning, spicy sensation when you eat them. The spicier the pepper, the more capsaicinoids it contains.
When you make salsa, chili peppers are typically blended along with other ingredients like tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice. This distributes the capsaicinoids throughout the salsa. So every spoonful delivers a dose of spicy kick. The more peppers and the hotter the peppers you use, the spicier the salsa will be.
Does adding water reduce spiciness?
Adding a splash of water to your salsa may seem like an easy way to tamp down the heat. But here’s the thing – capsaicinoids are lipophilic compounds. That means they readily bind to fats and oils, but do not dissolve very well in water.
So adding a bit of water to your salsa doesn’t do much to dilute down or wash away the capsaicinoids. You’re basically just adding extra water to your salsa, without reducing the concentration of the spicy compounds.
Think of it this way – adding a few drops of tabasco sauce to a glass of water doesn’t make the tabasco less spicy. It just makes tabasco-flavored water. The same idea applies to diluting salsa with water.
What about other ingredients?
While water itself does little to reduce spiciness, adding extra ingredients like tomatoes, mango, pineapple, or citrus juice can help balance out the heat. Here’s why these ingredients are more effective than plain water:
- Tomatoes contain sugars that counteract spiciness. Adding more tomatoes or tomato-based ingredients like pasta sauce can round out the flavor.
- Fruits like mango and pineapple have a sweetness that helps mask spiciness.
- Citrus juices contain acids that temper heat and enhance other flavors.
- Fats, oils, and dairy help coat your mouth and limit exposure to capsaicinoids.
So if your salsa is too fiery, stir in a spoonful of sour cream, extra avocado, lime juice, or other cooling ingredients to balance the taste.
Tips for reducing salsa spice
Here are some easy ways to tone down overly spicy salsa:
- Add more tomatoes, either fresh or canned diced tomatoes. Let simmer for 15 minutes so flavors combine.
- Stir in some chopped mango, pineapple, or citrus juice like lime, lemon, or orange.
- Mix in plain yogurt, sour cream, or milk to add a cooling effect.
- Increase mild ingredients like cilantro, onion, garlic, cumin or oregano.
- Add a spoonful or two of smooth peanut butter or nut butter.
- For very mild salsa, remove some chili peppers before blending.
Can you remove capsaicinoids?
Removing capsaicinoids once they’ve been blended into salsa isn’t really possible. However, there are a couple of methods you can try to extract some of the spicy compounds:
- Strain the salsa: Use a fine mesh strainer to separate some of the solids from the liquids. This won’t remove all the heat, but it may help a bit by extracting chili seeds and skins.
- Soak in milk: Cover the salsa with whole milk and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. The caseins in milk can bind to some capsaicinoids and reduce pungency.
- Add cornstarch: Whisk 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch into the salsa and simmer for 5 minutes. The starch molecules attract capsaicinoids to reduce heat.
Keep in mind none of these methods will completely eliminate spiciness. But they may provide some mild relief if you accidentally made your salsa too fiery.
Ways to use up super spicy salsa
If your salsa is still too hot for your liking even after tweaking the ingredients, here are some tasty ways you can use it up:
- Mix into chili, stew, or soup recipes where it can blend with other flavors
- Use as a marinade or sauce for grilled meats, fish, or poultry
- Add to cooked rice or grain bowls
- Top pizzas, nachos, tacos, or burritos
- Blend into bean dip or hummus
- Stir into pasta dishes
- Use as a sauce for eggs or breakfast tacos
Combining small amounts of very spicy salsa with more mild ingredients can help bring its heat level down. Just be sure to add it slowly and taste as you go until you achieve the desired spiciness.
Conclusion
Water alone does not lower salsa’s spiciness, since capsaicinoids do not dissolve well in water. The most effective ways to reduce excessive heat are adding more tomatoes, fruits, dairy, oil, acidity, or other diluting ingredients. Straining the salsa and soaking in milk can help extract some capsaicinoids. But the best approach is starting with less spicy peppers when making your own salsa. If store-bought salsa is too hot, balance it out with extra mild ingredients before serving.