The Cilantro Tip To Effortlessly Upgrade Your Salsa

There are plenty of core ingredients in salsa that infuse it with flavor. The exact ingredient list depends on the recipe, but spiced chili peppers and sweet Roma tomatoes are relatively consistent mainstays. Other additions, like tomatillo or cilantro, are optional, but they really can make the difference between a somewhat mundane dip and one that's bursting with fresh, addictive flavor. 

If you're in the market for a more flavorful salsa, one simple cilantro tip can effortlessly upgrade your dip. Start using the entire plant — stems included. While most salsa recipes that call for cilantro only use the leaves, the stems of the cilantro plant come packed with fresh, pungent flavor, so they're a really underrated choice to use in salsa. The stems' cooling taste brings balance to spicy salsa, along with a satisfying subtle crunch to elevate the salsa's texture. 

Any type of salsa, from green varieties like salsa verde to fresh varieties like pico de gallo, could benefit from the presence of the entire cilantro plant. (That is, of course, unless you're one of the people who hate cilantro. If you've got a genetic variation in your olfactory receptors that causes cilantro to taste like soap for you, totally get it.) But, if you're a lucky cilantro lover curious to try this addition, here's how to incorporate an entire cilantro plant into your salsa.

To use an entire cilantro plant in salsa, you can add in those refreshing leaves just like you normally would. When it comes to the rest of the plant, there's not much to do differently there either. To prep cilantro stems for your salsa, simply chop them up and throw them in with your usual ingredients. Whether you want to chop them up finely or roughly into big chunks is up to you and whatever flavor profile you're seeking. 

If you prefer to reap the flavor benefits of those stems without some added crunch, you can also opt to blend the cilantro plant in a food processor until it reaches a coarse consistency before adding it to your salsa. Keep in mind that some chefs have claimed that this method mutes the cilantro's flavor, as you are fully blending the herb into the dish instead of letting those concentrated leaves and stems separately stand on their own. On the other hand, blending a cilantro plant can mean a lot less tedious prep process than chopping. So, to blend or not to blend — the choice is up to you. Either way, using an entire cilantro plant can really upgrade your dip, so stop throwing out leftover cilantro stems ASAP and make whatever prep decision is best for you and your palate.