Garden Pico & Tortilla Chips

Peak tomatoes, peppers & cilantro from the beds · onion from the market · chips fried to order

~3 cups · 10 min

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6 San Marzano (paste) tomatoes, cored & quartered — meaty & dry, no seeding
1 onion (farmers market), fine dice
1 jalapeño (or a Buena Mulata — stays purple raw)
1 green cayenne — just the one; it brings the real heat
1 big handful cilantro, chopped
1–2 limes, juiced
salt, to taste
12 corn tortillas, cut in sixths
neutral oil, for frying · flaky salt · lime, to spritz the chips

What you need

6 San Marzano (paste) tomatoes, cored & quartered — meaty & dry, no seeding

1 onion (farmers market), fine dice

1 jalapeño (or a Buena Mulata — stays purple raw)

1 green cayenne — just the one; it brings the real heat

1 big handful cilantro, chopped

1–2 limes, juiced

salt, to taste

12 corn tortillas, cut in sixths

neutral oil, for frying · flaky salt · lime, to spritz the chips

Pulse the tomatoes, then the peppers & onion. The fast way and the right way: core and quarter the paste tomatoes and pulse to a coarse chop — never a purée — then tip into a colander. Then pulse the peppers and onion together to a fine chop. Keeping the tomatoes apart from the rest is the trick — run everything at once and it all turns to slush.
Salt & drain the tomatoes. While the peppers and onion go through, toss the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt in the colander. Paste tomatoes are already meaty and dry, so a quick drain is all they need — and it keeps the pico from ever going watery.
Recombine & rest. Tip the drained tomatoes, onion, and pepper into a bowl. Pulse (or hand-chop) the cilantro and fold it in with the lime and salt. Rest 10 min so it marries; taste and adjust — garden tomatoes vary wildly.
Fry the chips. Cut the tortillas into wedges. Fry in 350°F oil until golden and crisp (30–60 seconds a batch), or bake at 400°F with a spray of oil, flipping once, until they snap.
Spritz with lime, then salt — hot. The second they come out of the oil, while they're still glossy, hit the chips with a light spritz of lime juice, then the salt. The lime brightens the corn and helps the salt grab; both only stick while the oil is warm.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Pulse the tomatoes, then the peppers & onion. The fast way and the right way: core and quarter the paste tomatoes and pulse to a coarse chop — never a purée — then tip into a colander. Then pulse the peppers and onion together to a fine chop. Keeping the tomatoes apart from the rest is the trick — run everything at once and it all turns to slush.

2. Salt & drain the tomatoes. While the peppers and onion go through, toss the chopped tomatoes with a pinch of salt in the colander. Paste tomatoes are already meaty and dry, so a quick drain is all they need — and it keeps the pico from ever going watery.

3. Recombine & rest. Tip the drained tomatoes, onion, and pepper into a bowl. Pulse (or hand-chop) the cilantro and fold it in with the lime and salt. Rest 10 min so it marries; taste and adjust — garden tomatoes vary wildly.

4. Fry the chips. Cut the tortillas into wedges. Fry in 350°F oil until golden and crisp (30–60 seconds a batch), or bake at 400°F with a spray of oil, flipping once, until they snap.

5. Spritz with lime, then salt — hot. The second they come out of the oil, while they're still glossy, hit the chips with a light spritz of lime juice, then the salt. The lime brightens the corn and helps the salt grab; both only stick while the oil is warm.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.