Asian Salsa

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It’s almost Labor Day and my tomatoes are still coming in strong, and I just picked another cucumber from the garden. I’m not ready to surrender to fall quite yet! There’s still so much to do with all this fresh produce.

My favorite thing this summer has been trying different kinds of salsa, so this may be my last one for the season—and it’s a good one. This fresh Asian Salsa is packed with tomatoes, cucumber, kimchi, ginger, garlic, lime, soy sauce, and sesame oil. It’s crunchy, savory, a little spicy, and has so much flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Asian Salsa

I adore Asian flavors, and anything I can cook or eat that has soy sauce and ginger is totally my vibe!

Since my son moved out, I stopped cooking actual dinners quite as often and fully embraced my bag of frozen potstickers. Potstickers with a little stir fry of veggies have pretty much been my easy go-to dinner three times a week. My wok has been my best friend.

But I definitely needed to switch up my dinner profile, and this fresh Asian Salsa was a much-needed and delicious addition to my otherwise boring—but yummy!—easy dinner.

It takes about 10 minutes to put together, and you can use it as a fresh dip with crackers or spoon it over fish or chicken. I started eating it with sesame crackers and then ended up serving it over cod with jasmine rice.

It’s so fun to try new and different flavors. This one is definitely a keeper!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This salsa is basically a big bowl of fresh diced veggies with an Asian flair.

You’ll need:

• Cherry tomatoes: I used a medley of colors because they’re so pretty, especially this time of year when the garden tomatoes are everywhere.
• Cucumber: English cucumber is a good choice, but I used what I had fresh from the garden.
• Kimchi: One of my favorite parts of this recipe. It adds so much savory, tangy flavor.
• Green onions: For a little freshness and onion flavor without overpowering everything.
• Garlic and fresh ginger: Two flavors I absolutely love with soy sauce and sesame oil.
• Fresh cilantro: Just a tablespoon is enough to brighten everything up.
• Hot chili pepper: I used an Aji Chinchi pepper, but you can use another hot pepper you enjoy.
• Fresh lime juice: This gives the salsa that little acidic pop it needs.
• Sesame oil: A little goes a long way and gives the salsa that unmistakable toasted sesame flavor.
• Soy sauce and fish sauce: These bring all that salty, savory goodness.
• Sugar: After tasting the finished salsa, I decided it needed just a kiss of sugar. Half a teaspoon was perfect.

I especially wanted to use kimchi because I love it, it’s yummy, and I thought it would give the salsa a really deep umami flavor and make it a little different. It absolutely did.

And then you have leftover kimchi to make kimchi pancakes, which are stellar. I could eat those every day of my life…lol.

How to Make Asian Salsa

There really isn’t much to this recipe, which is part of what makes it so good.

Dice the cherry tomatoes and cucumber into small salsa-sized pieces. Dice the kimchi, slice the green onions, and finely mince the garlic, ginger, cilantro, and hot chili pepper.

Add everything to a bowl, then pour in the fresh lime juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Give it all a really good stir.

Taste it before adding the sugar. When I made mine, everything was delicious but I thought it needed just a tiny bit of sweetness to round out all those salty, tangy, spicy flavors. That little kiss of sugar did the trick.

You can eat it right away, but I like to let the salsa sit for about an hour before serving. It gives all those flavors a chance to meld together.

The tomatoes and cucumber release some juices while they sit, and those juices mix with the soy sauce, lime, fish sauce, and sesame oil to make the most delicious little dressing at the bottom of the bowl.

Tips for the Best Flavor

Keep your vegetables fairly small and evenly diced. You want to get some tomato, cucumber, kimchi, and all those seasonings in every bite.

Definitely use fresh ginger and fresh lime juice here. There aren’t a ton of ingredients in this recipe, so those fresh flavors really stand out.

And don’t skip the resting time if you can help it. An hour gives the salsa time to become even more flavorful.

As for the chili pepper, make this as spicy—or not spicy—as you like. I love that little bit of heat against the cool cucumber and sweet tomatoes.

What to Serve With Asian Salsa

My first plan was simply to eat this as salsa with sesame crackers, and honestly, that alone is delicious.

But then I started thinking about dinner.

I ended up serving it over cod with jasmine rice, and it was fabulous. The salsa adds crunch and freshness to a simple piece of fish, while all those soy, ginger, sesame, and kimchi flavors give the whole meal a lot more personality.

It would also be delicious with:

• Grilled or baked chicken
• Salmon or another mild fish
• Shrimp
• Potstickers
• Rice bowls
• Stir-fried vegetables
• Sesame or rice crackers

This is also exactly the kind of thing I would put alongside my frozen potstickers when I want my easy dinner to feel a little less boring.

A Fresh End-of-Summer Appetizer

If you’re new to Asian flavors or just want to try something a little different, this is so fun.

I especially love making it at the end of summer when the tomatoes and cucumbers are still coming in and I am absolutely refusing to surrender to fall. It’s fresh, colorful, easy, and a great way to use some of that late-summer produce.

Serve it as an appetizer for Labor Day weekend with sesame crackers, put it out with potstickers, or make it part of an easy dinner with fish and rice.

More Fresh Salsa Recipes to Try

Love the crisp vegetables and bold flavors in this Asian Salsa? Try one of these fresh salsa recipes next:

• Greek Salsa
• Garden Fresh Salsa
• Peach Salsa
• Strawberry Mango Salsa

Final Thoughts

So I suggest you jump out of the box and try something new!

Dice up these healthy and yummy veggies, throw in some kimchi, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lime, and give the whole thing a good stir.

It’s fresh, crunchy, savory, tangy, a little spicy, and completely different from a traditional salsa. I guarantee you’ll be happy you tried it.

Enjoy!