Pineapple-Mango Salsa

This weekend we celebrated my grandfather’s 97th birthday party.  One of the side dishes I prepared for the celebration was a pineapple-mango salsa.  I didn’t expect it, but it made quite an impression on the crowd.   The most seasoned of cooks asked for the recipe – which was quite an honor for me.  I dedicate this blog post to my family for the collective hard work contributed by all to organize this wonderful celebration.

One thing to keep in mind when making any type of salsa is that you control the heat.  Your peppers are your heat source, so following are a couple tips for reducing the heat without sacrificing the flavor of this dish.  First and foremost, reduce the amount of peppers in your recipe.  I use four jalapeño peppers in this recipe, but you do not have to use this same amount.   You can use two or even one jalapeño.   I recommend you add one and gradually build up to your liking.  Another tip for reducing the heat is removing the seeds from one or all of the peppers.  To further tame the heat in jalapeños after removing the seeds, soak  in milk for 15 minutes.  After soaking, you must rinse them well and pat them dry.  When I make salsa for friends that are not used to spicy food, I will reduce the amount of peppers and remove the seeds.   I typically do not soak them in  milk, but I did want to offer this additional tip.   My family and I use this process in other recipes such as making cream cheese filled bacon-wrapped jalapeños.  Following are the ingredients and tools that you will need:

Ingredients:

1 Sweet Pineapple

3 Sweet Mangoes

4 Roma Tomatoes (optional)

1/2 White or Purple Medium Onion

2-4 Jalapeños or Serrano peppers

1 Cilantro Bunch

6-8 Juicy Limes or Key Limes

Sea Salt to taste

Tools:

Cutting Board

Sharp Knife

Bowl

Spoon

Chop your fruit, including the Roma tomatoes, into small bite size pieces.  I know several people that do not care for raw tomatoes, so these are optional.  Omitting the tomatoes will not sacrifice the taste.  Finely dice your Jalapeños or Serrano Peppers, onion and cilantro bunch.  A purple onion vs a white onion will add an additional pop of color. Personally, I find purple onions have a slightly stronger taste than white onions, but not strong enough to overpower the salsa.  Remember, if you do not want a spicy salsa, start off with one Jalapeño and work your way up or remove the seeds from your Jalapeños.  Add all of your chopped ingredients into a bowl and mix.  Cut limes in halves or quarters and  juice the limes in your salsa.  If your limes have seeds, I suggest that you juice all of your limes in a small bowl or cup, remove the seeds with a spoon or strainer and add the juice to your salsa.  Add sea salt to taste and mix thoroughly.   Remember that you can always add salt, but once it’s in your dish – you cannot take it out.  Let me know what you think and hope you enjoy!