cook · appetizer · mexican

Basic Fruit Salsa

Name: Basic Fruit Salsa
Cuisine: mexican

Fruit salsa combines diced fresh fruit with lime juice, herbs, and a touch of heat. The key is cutting everything to the same small size and letting the flavors meld for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Total time: 20 min
Hands-on: 20 min
Serves: 6
Difficulty: Easy

Before you start

Sharp knife, steady hand

Uniform dice is everything here. Cut fruit too large and it falls off chips, too small and it turns to mush.

chef's knife
cutting board
mixing bowl

Ingredients

2 mangoes, peeled and diced small
1 pineapple, cored and diced small
1 red bell pepper, diced small
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

The dice

Quarter-inch cubes, no bigger

Everything should be the same size as a corn kernel. This keeps pieces on the chip and prevents any one flavor from dominating a bite.

Step by step

Prep all fruit and vegetables. Dice mango, pineapple, and bell pepper into quarter-inch pieces. Mince the onion and jalapeño finer than the fruit.
Combine in mixing bowl. Add diced fruit, vegetables, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Fold gently with a spoon to avoid mashing the fruit.
Rest and adjust. Let sit 30 minutes for flavors to blend. Taste and add more lime juice if it needs brightness or salt if it tastes flat.

Tips & troubleshooting

Choose fruit that's ripe but still firm — overripe fruit turns to mush when mixed
Remove all seeds from jalapeños unless you want serious heat
Make this up to 4 hours ahead, but add cilantro just before serving to keep it bright green

Variations

Tropical. Add diced papaya and kiwi, finish with mint instead of cilantro
Stone fruit. Use peaches, plums, and apricots with basil and a pinch of black pepper
Apple-pear. Dice tart apples and pears, add pomegranate seeds and chopped sage

Questions

How long does fruit salsa keep?: Best eaten the day you make it. The fruit starts releasing juice and softening after that, though it's still good for 2 days in the fridge.
Can I use frozen fruit?: Not for this. Frozen fruit releases too much water when thawed and won't hold its shape when diced.
What's the best way to dice a mango?: Cut the cheeks off either side of the pit, score the flesh in a grid without cutting through the skin, then scoop out the cubes with a spoon.