Salsa

There are two quite different products called salsa and they do not store alike.

Jarred shelf-stable salsa keeps unopened in the pantry until its date, then about 2 weeks refrigerated once opened.

Fresh refrigerated salsa — the kind sold in the chilled section, often labeled pico de gallo — keeps only 5–7 days and must stay refrigerated the whole time.

Store either in a sealed container, and use a clean spoon rather than dipping directly. Chips carried into a salsa jar introduce starch, saliva, and bacteria all at once.

Do not leave salsa out at a party for more than two hours.

Salsa freezes acceptably for about 2 months but the texture softens considerably as the vegetable cells rupture — better for cooking than for dipping.

The difference between the two salsas is entirely about processing, and it explains the very different windows.

Jarred salsa has been acidified — usually with vinegar or added citric acid, to a pH below 4.6 — and then heat-processed in the sealed jar. That combination of acidity and a kill step is what makes it shelf-stable, and it is the same principle behind safe home canning. This is why USDA-tested salsa canning recipes specify added acid and warn against altering the proportions of low-acid ingredients like onions and peppers.

Fresh salsa has had neither treatment. It is chopped raw vegetables — tomato, onion, cilantro, chili — with some lime juice, and while tomatoes and lime are acidic, the mixture as a whole is not reliably below the safety threshold. It is a raw, moist, mildly acidic food, and it behaves like one.

Fresh salsa also carries the raw-produce risks of its components: cilantro and tomatoes have both been linked to Salmonella outbreaks in the US.

Signs of spoilage in either: bubbling or fizzing, which indicates fermentation by wild yeast; a lid that has bulged; a sharply sour or alcoholic smell; mold on the surface; and a slimy or ropy texture. Discard on any of these.

Jar and bottle dates on shelf-stable condiments are usually "best by" quality dates, not federal safety deadlines — see USDA FSIS food product dating. Unopened product kept cool and dry is typically fine through that date for quality.

After opening, follow the refrigerator (or pantry) window on this page and the label. Discard if mold, off odors, or unusual separation appear — do not scrape mold and keep using it.