"fruit salsa" news and stories

The spicy-sweet strawberry salsa with which blogger Everybody Likes Sandwiches liberally tops grilled cod is gorgeously red, with tomatoes and red onion chiming in. Vibrantly flavored with chives, cilantro, chile and lime juice, it could stand up to a much bolder fish.

Fruit salsas add tropical notes where you'd guess they'd be found, such as in this recipe for mahi mahi with cumin oil and pineapple salsa, and where you might find them surprising, as in a recipe for skirt steak with orange-cilantro salsa.

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This dish is based on a recipe from one of last summer’s issues of Bon Appetit. I was flipping though it for inspiration when the picture caught my eye. My dish is Grilled Salmon with Pineapple-Jicama Salsa, which uses salmon instead of the halibut called for in the original and eliminates the step of preparing a tostada, though corn tortillas are still a nice accompaniment. The thing that really made me want to try this was the salsa, a combination of pineapple, red onion, jicama and peppers. It sounded fresh and delicious, in addition to being colorful. Since it’s spring, fresh flavors and the chance to fire up the grill are definite pluses when it comes to dinner.

Fruit salsas are not the on culinary cutting edge as they were only a few years ago, but they are as popular as ever. Instead of being found topping lightly grilled fishes and elaborately stacked entrees at high end restaurants, they are on supermarket shelves and being whipped up in homes. They provide a great alternative to the more ordinary tomato based salsas, with added variations and flavors. The fruits provide a sweetness that really livens up the dip and tempers the heat of the peppers. Trader Joe’s Roasted Peach salsa is a current favorite of mine. It is smoky, sweet and has a definite kick to it. Soft-firm fruits, like peaches, mangos, papayas and avocados typically make the best choices for salsas, as they hold up well and have strong enough flavors to compliment other spices, without overwhelming them or being overwhelmed. The salsas are great for dipping tortilla chips, pita chips and veggies and would be well received at any party (football, anyone?). They can also be mixed into a salad as a spicy alternative to regular dressings.

[Photo by Nicole Weston]