Salsas can be a tangy relish to serve with grilled chicken or fish, add a picante kick to braised or stewed dishes, or bring a herbaceous freshness to charred tortillas (or, of course, chips!). Start with a blender (and our easy, mix-and-match ingredient combos), and you can achieve silky-smooth or chunky salsas in a flash.

By Angela Carlos for Food Network Kitchen; photography by Karen Cohen

Salsas add balanced vibrancy to whatever they accompany — but "balanced" doesn't mean there's only one way to make them. Here are the five tastes that make up each of our blender salsas. Start with our recipes, but then have fun experimenting with different ingredient combos.

Main ingredient: tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, tomatillos, roasted red peppers, mango, bell pepper and corn

Heat: fresh jalapenos, charred jalapenos and poblano peppers

Herbs: cilantro (or parsley, if you prefer)

Onion-y Flavor: white onions, red onions, scallions and garlic

Tang: lime and salt

Swap out the typical red-tomato base in this corn number. Although yellow tomatoes help provide a little bulk to this recipe, their mild acidity showcases the sweeter kernels of corn. This salsa is simply perfect for pouring over spice-rubbed flank steak.

Believe it: Canned tomatoes are ideal for salsas no matter the season. The sugars in the tomatoes balance the sharper flavors of the raw red onion and garlic in this recipe. Plus, the fire-roasted flavor delivers a pleasant char (without an extra step).