Name: Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh pineapple (finely chopped); ¼ red onion (finely chopped); ¼ cup pickled jalapeños (finely chopped); ¼ cup coriander (finely chopped); 1 lime (juice)

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An easy-to-make pineapple jalapeno salsa that will give a fresh, sharp flavour to complement your favourite Mexican dishes.

I know that sweet, tart and spicy savoury dishes are not for everyone. However, I love adding something sweet, and something pickled to a main dish to give it a lift in flavour.

While Mexican dishes, such as nachos, enchiladas, tacos and burritos, are packed with flavour, they shine with the sharp flavour of freshly made salsa. Enter pineapple jalapeño salsa.

Pineapple jalapeno salsa ingredients

To prepare this salsa, you will need:

Fresh pineapple that is finely diced. You could make it with canned pineapple if you don’t have fresh pineapple. If using tinned pineapple, dry it on a paper towel before dicing, as it will have too much juice for salsa. However, the flavour will not be as intense as using fresh pineapple, which is what I recommend.

Red onion gives the salsa a sharp taste and a gorgeous contrast in colour to the yellow pineapple and green coriander. However, if your stomach doesn’t agree with red onion, you could substitute thinly sliced green onion for a similar flavour.

Pickled jalapeños are mild green chilli that gives a tangy tartness that contrasts the pineapple’s sweetness.

Fresh coriander (cilantro) is common in Asian and South American cuisine and has a floral citrusy favour. However, due to a variation in their olfactory-receptor genes, the taste can be soapy for some people. If that’s you, you may like to substitute parsley or sliced green onion.

Lime juice adds sourness and extra tang to the salsa and helps meld the flavours. You can use fresh lime or lime juice. Alternatively, you could switch it with lemon juice.

Depending on your taste preferences or what you have available, you could also try adding red capsicum or mango.

Tips for making fresh salsa

Fresh pineapple jalapeno salsa is easy to whip up in a few minutes.

Ensure all the ingredients are finely chopped. This allows the flavours to meld together and ensures you get a little of everything in each bite.

You can make a batch of this pineapple salsa and store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week. Thus, you can prepare it ready to zest up any Mexican dishes you eat throughout the week.