My pregnancy cravings have been shifting from Asia to south of the border. I still love to eat potstickers and spring rolls, but now I find myself also wanting guacamole, fresh salsa and tacos. We even made grilled quesadillas on our annual Mt. Rainier camping trip last week!
One of our traditions camping is a big batch of homemade guacamole for snacking on the two hour drive to Mt. Rainier. Eric drives, and I load up chips and feed them to him. Yes, I’m a highly qualified copilot. This year, Eric was teasing me for putting so much guacamole on each bite I gave him. He normally ate just a teaspoon or so of guacamole with each chip. I on the other hand like to load a tablespoon of guac on a corner of the chip, bite that corner off, then repeat with the remaining two corners!
See I’m the kind of person who views carbs like chips, crackers or bread as vessels for whatever dip or condiment I really want to eat. French fries are for ketchup and mustard, potato chips are for french onion dip, bread is for butter and jam or peanut butter. Whatever it is, I like to load it on thick!
This can be a little dangerous when it’s a high fat dip loaded with sour cream or cheese. But with fresh salsa like this, I can load every bite as full as I want!
While incredibly simple to make, this salsa is a rainbow of colors and a symphony of flavors that always makes people I serve it to beg for the recipe. It’s the perfect summer snack or potluck dish, and it’s amazing as a side (without chips) to go with chicken, fish or my fiesta shrimp.
If you don’t have mango, or can’t find a good deal on it, try subbing a seasonal fruit like fresh peaches or cherries. Oooh, or peaches AND cherries! Hmm, inspiration?
My most important two tips for making this, or any salsa:
- Don’t rub your eyes after cutting hot peppers. Make sure to wash hands thoroughly with soap as soon as you’re done touching the peppers!
- If you’ll be serving your salsa with chips, do your taste testing with chips. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people do their taste testing with a spoon, and then serve the salsa or guacamole with chips only to have people complain about how salty it is. Chips are very salty so you will need less salt than if you were eating the salsa on its own.
I also like to chop the fruits and vegetables very small to get as much variety as possible in each bite. It takes a little while, but it’s worth it!
Well, with this and my pico de gallo and salsa verde recipes, I now have a trio of favorite salsa recipes. Do you have a favorite salsa recipe? I think my baby is going to have a love of Mexican food!
Fresh Mango Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 ripe mangoes, pitted, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 cucumber peeled, de-seeded and diced
- 1-2 jalapenos finely chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/4 cup cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 TBS sugar or sucanat
- to taste kosher salt
Instructions
- Put mango, bell pepper, cucumber, jalapenos, onion and cilantro in a large bowl.
- Add lime juice, sugar (or sucanat) and salt. Mix well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
- Serve with tortilla chips or as a condiment for tacos, chicken or seafood.
Notes
Approximate cost/serving: I usually make this when I can find mangoes for $1 each. A big bowl of this salsa typically costs me around $5 to make. It makes enough for 15 people to snack on so just 33 cents a serving! Of course that doesn’t count the cost of chips but it’s still a pretty affordable party option.
Vegetarian/Gluten Free: Good to go for both (vegan too), just make sure to use gluten free corn chips!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 37Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 40mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is an estimate only.
