Continuing to explore quality food products from Virginia, I had the chance to taste 3 unique salsas from Gunther’s Gourmet. We always have salsa in our fridge and a backup jar in the cold room. I like salsa with corn chips and tacos like all normal people, but my biggest consumption of salsa comes from breakfast. A tablespoon of salsa with my eggs, fried or hard boiled. Stephen thinks it’s odd, but if you like salsa, I would highly recommend giving the combination a try.
To learn more about other delicious food and beverage products from Virginia, all of the best quality, visit Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. All ideas and opinions expressed are wholly mine.
The Basics
Gunther’s Gourmet is a company started by the Lampros brothers that offers a variety of marinades, salsas and dips. Ingredients are all natural avoiding preservatives and artificial colours. Their products are low sodium and low cholesterol with unique flavours like Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa and Fiery Peri Peri Dark Cherry Salsa. The brothers are continuously experimenting with flavours to create exceptional products vs what’s in the market.
The company is named after younger brother, Chef Mike’s dog who passed in 2008. A portion of Gunther’s profits are donated to non kill animal shelters in memory of Gunther and following the company’s belief in giving back to their community. For more information and to purchase salsas, check out https://www.gunthersgourmet.com/
What I liked
We tried 3 types of salsa from Gunther’s Gourmet, Lime Mango Salsa, Spicy Chipotle Pepper & Smoked Corn Salsa and Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa. Unboxing the jars, I could not wait to try the crab salsa. Such an interesting combination but also so natural when I thought about it, caesars! I liked the chunky texture of each salsa and how you could really see the ingredients, whole corn kernels, chunks of mango and shreds of real crab.
The flavour of the salsas were closer to ones I’ve made at home versus store bought varieties and quite sweet. The smokey chipotle flavour really came through and the lime mango had a great balance of sweetness and acidity. With the Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa, there was a distinct seafood taste, but just a hint and not overwhelming. It would be perfect paired with any kind of seafood. All of the salsas were truly light on salt and I didn’t feel any guilt loading up my sampling chip.
Inspired
Before tasting the salsas,I knew I wanted to make something to pair with the Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa and a kind of fish pakora seems perfect. Once I tasted the Lime Mango though, my tastebuds were blown away. The sweet mango and sour lime would be perfect with anything deep fried. No need for a wedge of lime, just spoon on more salsa. The Crab Salsa was equally delicious and the mild seafood flavour mellowed out the saltier bites of fish. I can’t wait to serve a bowl of the Spicy Chipotle Pepper & Smoked Corn salsa on our next taco night.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Gunther’s Gourmet Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa
- 1/4 cup Gunther’s Gourmet Lime Mango Salsa
- 1 lb of basa fillets
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Cut basa into 1 inch chunks and season with salt, black pepper and Chinese cooking wine.
- For the batter, combine potato starch, flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cilantro, water and baking soda in a large bowl.
- In a wok (or crock pot), fill with oil until 2 inches deep and heat oil to 325°F.
- Dip each piece of fish in the batter and slowly place in oil. Flip each piece periodically as it fries to ensure even browning. Fry for 3-5 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Serve with a bowl of Gunther’s Gourmet Chesapeake Bay Crab Salsa and Lime Mango Salsa.
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