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Cilantro is an ancient herb used in cooking and healing for thousands of years. Ancestral societies grew cilantro extensively in ancient Europe. It was greatly valued as both food and medicine.
In fact, ancient Britain and other traditional cultures considered cilantro so important that only doctors and priests were allowed to use it! Perhaps that is the reason European cuisine rarely includes cilantro, though it is native to the area.
In more modern times, researchers found cilantro to contain a high level of antioxidants. In addition, it provides antibacterial benefits for those that consume it. Perhaps most importantly, cilantro will remove mercury, aluminum, and other metals from the brain, spinal cord, and other organs. Hence, it is a potent food-based chelation agent. The body then moves these metals to the excretory system where they are easily eliminated by the natural functions of the body.
While not used much in European cooking, Latin American and Asian cuisine uses cilantro extensively. The combination of cilantro and tomatoes is one of the most traditional and popular condiments in Latin America. I am convinced that food combinations become traditional because they are beneficial for both taste and health.
Homemade Cilantro Salsa
This recipe for cilantro salsa is fermented. Fermentation increases the nutrient value, besides adding beneficial probiotics and makes the fermented substances easier to digest and absorb. The fermented salsa recipe contained in Nourishing Traditions inspired this cilantro based version along with the ingredients contained in traditional Latin American condiments.
I recommend that you chop the ingredients for cilantro salsa by hand. Not only is this traditional, but it really seems to result in a better-tasting salsa. Some food processors chop at such a high speed that it actually changes the taste of the vegetables. Since cilantro binds to metal, it is best to use a glass bowl when making this recipe. Store the finished salsa in a glass jar. Mason jars are ideal.
The hot peppers are traditional but optional. If you do include the hot peppers, be sure to be careful, using gloves when you handle them. Never touch your eyes until carefully washing your hands. Either way, this condiment is the tastiest way to remove toxic metals that I have ever come across.
Homemade Fermented Cilantro Salsa
Delicious and therapeutic recipe for homemade cilantro salsa which is fermented to add probiotics and potency for therapeutic benefit for naturally and gently chelating metals from the body.
Ingredients
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes preferably organic and heirloom
- 2 green onions preferably organic
- 1-2 bunches cilantro preferably organic
- 4 cloves garlic preferably organic
- 4 peppers serrano or jalapeno, preferably organic
- 4 Tbl liquid whey do not substitute powdered whey
- 2 tsp coarse sea salt
Instructions
Wash all the vegetables thoroughly, and dry them. Chop the tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, and garlic very fine. Place the chopped vegetables in a large glass bowl.
If you are using the hot peppers, protect your hands by using disposable gloves. Remove the seeds, unless you really like it hot. Slice the peppers into small circular pieces, and add to the rest of the vegetables. Be sure never to touch your eyes until you wash your hands thoroughly.
Add the whey and the salt to the vegetables, and mix well.
Pour the mixture into a quart-sized mason jar. There should be at least one inch of space between the top of the jar and the mixture. It is important that the mixture does not touch the lid.
Cover the jar, move to a dark place (I use the inside of a cupboard), and let rest for two days while the fermentation takes place, then refrigerate.
This condiment should last a few weeks in the refrigerator, though, to be honest, we always finish it within a few days.
Recipe Notes
An alternative to the peppers is to add 1-4 teaspoons of bottled hot sauce, preferably thick and organic, after the fermentation is complete. Stir well. This avoids the problem of handling fresh hot peppers.
This cilantro salsa goes great with all meats, which is the way such condiments are traditionally used in Latin America. But you can eat it with almost any main course.
yum! I'm going to make this soon
I love salsa with cilantro. Ever since I started making it that way, I haven't been able to go back to any of my older recipes. It's delicious!
I learned the hard way about the hot peppers (but then I am a noob).
This salsa is one of my more popular ferments. I usually serve it as a condiment alongside fermented bean paste. I like to eat them blended together.
Ciao
Hi Pavil the Uber Noob,How do you do do the fermented beans paste ,please,thanks,maggie
Stanley, am I correct in understanding that you do no peel your tomatoes?
Ciao
Pavil,I wash the tomatoes well with a natural vegetable wash, but I do not peel them.
Traditionally, they were not peeled, and I try to keep the ingredients close to the traditions.
Love cilantro and eat it every chance I get. It's a great detoxifier, so there it's healthy for you as well as delicious. Thanks for this post Sarah and Stanley! 🙂
I tried fermented salsa a couple of years ago, and it lasted in the fridge for a couple months. I will definitely have to try this recipe 🙂 My husband is a big Mexican food fan!
The evidence on cilantro as a "heavy metal chelation" herb is sketchy at best. This "herban legend" is based on one paper which was not so much research as it was speculation. The chelation effects have NEVER been proven, so remain speculation. Don't get me wrong, as an herbalist, I love cilantro for its antioxidant and antiinflammatory qualities. But the chelation myth is getting a little out of hand.
~Susan in Florida
It’s not a myth, it really does pull out mercury, but it doesn’t grip hold long enough to guarantee getting it out of your body. This is why chelating with cilantro is super dangerous, especially when you still have amalgam (silver) fillings – they’re 50% mercury and all you will do is pull out even more from them and drop it elsewhere in your body.
I’ve read first hand accounts from many people who have made themselves deathly ill by eating cilantro (coriander leaf).
I would advise people only eat this if they don’t have any amalgam fillings. For more info on removing mercury safely look up the Cutler Protocol, and the IAOMT website for safe amalgam removal protocol.
Hello Sarah,
Just made the salsa and had a couple of questions… how long does whey last in the fridge and the only garlic I had was the bottled kind and it has xanthum gum in it. Will this affect the fermenting process at all. The whey I have is at least 6months old too…thanks!
Hi Rachel, whey lasts 6 months in the fridge. As long as it doesn't have any mold on it, you should be fine. You might have trouble using bottled garlic as it was not fresh and would add a mold risk to the batch. It will probably be fine, but watch it closely.
Hello –
This was my first time fermenting anything! 🙂 I just whipped it up on Sunday and stuck it in the cupboard (with the lid on) for 2 days. When I took it out of the cupboard, there was a layer over the top of the salsa. It’s so weird. I thought it was mold by looking at it (it’s kind of a whitish-gray color), but I was able to pick up the whole layer and it stayed as-is… it almost feels like a coffee filter or something – it’s thin and like…papery.
What is the deal? Is this normal? Or is it mold? Is the batch ruined? Just a note, the whey that I used was from homemade yogurt and it may have had some yogurt bits in it… not sure if that makes a difference.
Thanks!
Katie
Oh ,Cilantro it is in my kitchen all year round,I’m adicted it to it,in everything, but never fermented , right after I finish reading I will go and make it, thanks,
ps: by the way today is a week and half that I;m fermenting couliflower,red onion,and carrots, I tasted it it is awesome but I’m going to leave one more week,just wonderful,maggie
Voilaaaaaaaa, I just finish my fermented cilantro salsa, but I roasted the garlic , do you think will be any problem, I always made this salsa daily but not fermented, so, I have to give you Sarah my congratulations to you
b’h
I cannot get good quality whey? can i just use extra salt?
where do you get the whey? in what form is it? I assume this whey is not the whey protein…
Liquid whey … the clear liquid on the top of a quart of plain yogurt. I have a video on how to strain it out easily on this blog if you do a quick google in the search box in the purple menu bar in the header.
can i quit the whey?
Yes just double the salt and you can not use the whey.
We can not use whey do to allergy. Is there other way to make this without whey? Perhaps just salt?
Is there any problem using cilantro when you are nursing? I wouldn’t think so since it is a food, but the thought crossed my mind.
we have a dairy allergy in our house, too. what can we use instead of whey?
Double the amount of sea salt.