Peanut Butter Takes Store-Bought Bottle Salsa Up A Notch

What's Tex-Mex without a little salsa on the side? Although it's an essential component of many Latin American cuisines, homemade salsa requires attention to detail to properly develop the subtle layers of complexity characteristic of a well-made batch, making store-bought varieties a convenient choice. However, store-bought salsa isn't always as exciting as a scratch-made batch, but with the help of one unsuspecting ingredient — peanut butter — you can take that generic jar from ordinary to extraordinary.

Introducing peanut butter to store-bought salsa will infuse with it a toasty, nutty taste that complements the tangy ingredients and cuts through the fiery ones with delicate whispers of a gentle caramelized sweetness. Peanut butter can also thicken watery salsa, giving it a creamier, richer, fattier consistency that transforms its mouthfeel with a luxurious quality. Although it might sound eccentric, peanut-tinted salsa isn't uncommon in Mexican cuisine, and by incorporating the spread into a jar of store-bought salsa, you're essentially making a batch of salsa de cacahuate, which directly translates to peanut sauce. Simply spoon the spread into your salsa and shake it up until it's blended with the other ingredients. If the peanut butter is too dense, a dash of lemon juice can loosen it up for easy emulsion.

When livening up a jar of salsa with peanut butter, be mindful of which brand you select. Those packed with palm oil and sugar will undermine the delicate yet surprisingly complex taste of its natural form, which is essential for what you're trying to achieve by integrating into a jar of salsa.

Nuts, whether fresh, toasted, or ground into a buttery paste for spreading and jazzing up salsa, marry well with a wide variety of provisions. Whether you're using peanut butter salsa for Taco Night or just to zhuzh your favorite breakfast, there are plenty of ways to incorporate it into your rotation of meals.

Pair peanut butter salsa with succulent chicken tinga tacos to give their savory, umami depth a touch of a creamy, toasty sweetness, or, use the sauce to smother a slow-cooked pulled pork burrito in flavor, draping it in a cloak of silky-smooth spiciness. The peanut-kissed store-bought salsa can also add an earthy, yet fiery depth to the mild-mannered taste of white fish-topped tostadas.

Don't limit yourself to Latin American cuisines, either. Peanut butter salsa drizzled over a Buddha bowl with cooked quinoa and roasted vegetables introduces layers of flavor that bolster the earthy grains and folksy flavors of your favorite veggies. Add the salsa to your morning eggs with sesame-infused everything seasoning for a spicy, creamy breakfast that's boosted by the nutty, toasty taste of peanut butter.

Next time you have a store-bought batch of salsa that falls flat, don't let it go to waste. Think big and bust out your peanut butter. After all, it's meant for more than just a PB&J.