Basic Fruit Salsa
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.
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
What goes in.
- 2mangoes, peeled and diced small
- 1pineapple, cored and diced small
- 1red bell pepper, diced small
- 1/4 cupred onion, minced
- 1jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoonsfresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoonsfresh cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
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.
The method.
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.
Other turns to take.
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
When it doesn't go to plan.
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
The ones that keep coming up.
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.