Mango Salsa

Fresh Mango Salsa

Good news!  It's mango season! So for the next few months, you should be able to find plentiful mangoes at the supermarket for a substantially lower price than usual.  Just today, I found them for 25 cents a piece when they are usually 94 cents a piece.  That's a big savings!   So tonight.... mango salsa to accompany a grilled pork tenderloin.

Just some trivia for you: Did you know that the mango is distantly related to the cashew, pistachio, poison ivy, and poison oak?  Some people could have an allergic reaction to a chemical in the stems and leaves, so if you have a contact dermatitis-type reaction to poison ivy/oak... you may want to have someone else prepare this for you.  Go figure!  The better news (other than being delicious), is that mangoes are loaded with protective nutrients like vitamins C and A, potassium, and copper; and as such, they're often referred to as "king of the fruit."

Ingredients:  These can not be given in exact measures, because the produce that I find is not always the same size.  They are approximations.

• 2 large mangoes
• a handful of red and yellow bell peppers and sweet onion
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice from 1 - 2 limes
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• handful of grape tomatoes, quartered
• salt and pepper to taste 

Step-by-Step:

The mangos should "give" a little if they are ripe.. although they will still be quite firm.  To hasten the ripening process, you could put them in a bag overnight in the fridge.

There is a "proper" way of cutting a mango... but darned if I can ever figure it out.  They have a weird oblong pit in the middle, so you basically have to cut down both sides of it, then get extra pieces off.  The beauty of salsa, is that your chunks don't have to be uniform or pretty.  That's a positive for me.

One of my kitchen tips... whenever I have extra bell peppers and onions, I slice or dice them and pop them in a ziptop bag in the freezer.  This makes prep for other dishes (like this one) a snap.  The thawed, frozen peppers and onions break down a lot faster than the fresh ones.  For this recipe, I grabbed a handful of red and yellow bell peppers and sweet onion.  Also, the smallest jalapeño I had out there in the freezer.  I freeze them whole from the garden!  - pop in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and they are ready to be cut.  For this, I removed all the seeds and membrane to reduce the heat, but that batch of peppers was hot!  So I would say add this last in smaller quantities until you achieve the desired amount of heat.

A handful of fresh cilantro chopped over the fruit/veggies.  It wouldn't be salsa without cilantro!  Another kitchen tip - I store my cilantro in a glass of water in the fridge.  Keeps way longer.

The juice from 1 -2 limes.  Heat the limes 15-20 seconds in the microwave and roll them to get more juice out of them.

1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped.



Plus a small handful of cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste.  Now is when you adjust all the seasonings to your liking.  Need more heat, acid, sugar even?  Let all these flavors marry at least 30 minutes before serving.

I served my mango salsa with a grilled pork tenderloin.  Pork goes very well with fruit.  This salsa would also be great with grilled fish, shrimp, etc.

Written Directions

Cutting a mango... they have a weird oblong pit in the middle, so you basically have to cut down both sides of it, then get extra pieces off.  The beauty of salsa, is that your chunks don't have to be uniform or pretty.  That's a positive for me.  For this recipe, I grabbed a handful of red and yellow bell peppers and sweet onion.  Also, the smallest jalapeño I had out there in the freezer.  I removed all the seeds and membrane to reduce the heat!  Add this last in smaller quantities until you achieve the desired amount of heat.  Add a handful of fresh cilantro chopped over the fruit/veggies.  It wouldn't be salsa without cilantro!  Add the juice from 1 -2 limes.  Heat the limes 15-20 seconds in the microwave and roll them to get more juice out of them.  Add 1 large clove of garlic, finely chopped.   Add a small handful of cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste.  Now is when you adjust all the seasonings to your liking.  Need more heat, acid, sugar even?  Let all these flavors marry at least 30 minutes before serving.

Looking for more recipes?

Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of great recipes to cook for/with your family!  Some things are made from leftovers to stretch your budget, others are totally from scratch, while others make use of convenience items for a semi-homemade meal.  I also have a wide array of ethnic recipes represented.  Here are a few to pique your curiosity:

Buffalo Chicken Dip 

 

Roasted Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie 

 

Tiger Tail Pasta