Recipe and Photos by Lily Krass
Does it sometimes seem overkill to make your own chips and salsa when there are both zillions of options readily available at the store? Maybe. But is it far better and way fresher? Of course.
I’m a sucker for homemade tortilla chips, and am perfectly happy gorging on fresh chips and salsa in place of a regular meal every so often. Summer is the best time to throw together homemade salsas, and there’s no reason you have to stick to classic tomato mixups. Peaches, strawberries, and any summer fruit all provide a subtle sweetness and summery contrast to fresh onions and tomatoes, and I love experimenting with whatever comes in the door after the weekend market. Sizzling up a few homemade tortilla chips is also a great way to revive stale tortillas that have been haunting the fridge for ages. In fact, I find that the more stale they are the crunchier the chips become.
This one is a quick and easy app to set out for late summer dinner parties, and I usually find I need to double what I think I should prep since there’s something so incredibly addicting about these perfectly thick, chewy, and crunchy tortilla chips. They never last long on the table.
Lately I’ve been loving the small but mighty 3” Mini Chopper for throwing together small batch salsas like this. It’s nimble and agile, mincing garlic in a heartbeat and dicing up fruits and veggies without much effort at all. Sometimes less is more, and the Mini Chopper speaks to that sentiment. And of course, all tomatoes deserve the respect of getting sliced to smithereens with the ultra capable 6” Deli Knife. 
The key to a balanced salsa is dicing everything up into relatively similar sizes, so that no ingredient feels too overpowering. If you really want a smoother, restaurant-style salsa, you can chop it all up and then toss everything in a blender or food processor, but I think this pico de gallo-style salsa lets the fresh summer ingredients really shine. While fresh chips are always a hit as the ideal salsa delivery device, this salsa is also my go-to for topping fish tacos. The sweet zing of the peaches and jalapeños are the perfect compliment to buttery, seared fish and some creamy avocado.
If you really want to spice things up, I think there’s no better happy hour pairing than a spicy marg.
Peach Jalapeno Salsa with Homemade Tortilla Chips
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Salsa
2 ripe peaches, finely chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or quartered
1/4 red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh jalapeño, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Handful cilantro, chopped
½ lime, sliced
¼ tsp. salt, plus more to taste
Tortilla Chips
12 corn tortillas, sliced into quarters or sixths
1/3 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil if you prefer a more neutral taste)
½ lime, sliced
Flake salt, to taste
Directions:
Salsa
- Toss all the salsa ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
- Squeeze lime over the salsa and add salt to taste.
Chips
- Heat a deep cast iron skillet to medium-high with half the coconut oil or vegetable oil.
- Layer tortillas in the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side, flipping them once they start to brown.
- Place chips onto a plate with a paper towel and sprinkle with lime and flake salt. Rotate the rest of the tortillas into the skillet until you’ve fried them all up.