This zesty pineapple salsa recipe is fit for a celebration, or simply an afternoon snack! Featuring fresh lime juice, cilantro and jalapeño, it pairs perfectly with fresh fish and equally well with tortilla chips. 🙂
I LOVE having healthy salsa or guacamole on hand. 🙂 It just makes healthy snacking such a no-brainer, and it only takes about 20 minutes to pull together a batch that'll last for several days. Plus, pineapple brings so many great health benefits to the table, this salsa is a no-brainer!
If you're looking for other recipes for salsa, you can check out this classic homemade tomato salsa, or this refreshing mango salsa.
🌿 Ingredients
The ingredients for this salsa are mostly found in the produce department. If you can't find a whole fresh pineapple, you could also look for sliced fresh pineapple in the same department.
- small pineapple
- small red bell pepper (or any other color pepper)
- red onion
- garlic
- cilantro
- jalapeño pepper
- large lime
- ground cumin
- sea salt
See recipe card below for exact quantities.
📝 Instructions
To begin, cut the crown off your pineapple and then cut long slices down the fruit to remove the hard skin. Use the end of a vegetable peeler to remove any rough eyes from the fruit.
Then, dice the fruit of the pineapple as well as the red pepper and red onion. Remove the jalapeño seeds and mince the jalapeño and garlic. Chop the cilantro.
Pineapple bowls
If you'd like the use the pineapple itself to serve your salsa in, first cut the fruit lengthwise down the middle and then carefully cut through to remove the fruit from the crown but leave it attached to the other half. (You can use either or both halves of the pineapple as bowls.)
Next, carefully cut the fruit out of the pineapple halves by slicing around the fruit first, and then slicing through the middle two remove the two halves. You can use a spoon to carve out any extra fruit, and then dice all of the fruit into small pieces for the salsa.
Place all of the prepped ingredients in a large mixing bowl, juice the lime over everything and add the salt. Mix well to combine, test the taste, and add a little extra salt if desired.
Serve immediately or let sit for up to 20 minutes to let the flavors meld first.
Pineapple salsa for fish
If you're cooking fish tacos or any kind of mild grilled fish like cod or salmon, this salsa couldn't be a more perfect complement. Simply serve about a third of a cup on or alongside your fish servings, and enjoy!
📋 Substitutions
Feel free to make any of the following substitutions if you don't have all of the ingredients on hand:
- Pineapple - use fresh mango instead
- Red bell pepper - use orange, yellow or green pepper
- Red onion - use yellow or white onion
- Garlic - use a little garlic powder
- Cilantro - use parsley
- Jalapeño pepper - use another hot pepper of choice, or just leave out
- Ground cumin - if you don't have any cumin on hand, this can easily be left out
📖 Variations
Here are a couple of ways you can use to adjust the heat level of this salsa. As written, it's mild to medium in intensity, but you can adjust it according to preference.
- Spicy - add extra jalapeño pepper and for extra hot, leave some of the seeds in
- Mild/kid friendly - use less jalapeño or just leave out altogether, and use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic
🔪 Equipment
Here's the equipment you'll need to make this salsa:
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- vegetable peeler
- large mixing bowl
- mixing spoon or silicone spatula
🍱 Storage
Any leftover salsa will stay fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
🎉 Top tip
If you're preparing this recipe for entertaining, try to let it sit out for about 15-20 minutes first before serving. The flavors really meld and pop well just by sitting at room temperature or in the fridge for a bit. If you're just making a quick snack and can't wait, go ahead and dig in...it'll still be totally delicious. 😉
Enjoy!
🍳 Recipe
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 small pineapple about 2 cups diced
- 1 small red bell pepper or other color pepper
- ⅓ medium red onion about ⅓ cup diced
- ½ jalapeño pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ bunch cilantro about ½ cup chopped
- 1 large lime
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Cut the crown off the pineapple and then cut long slices down the fruit to remove the hard skin. Use the end of a vegetable peeler to remove any rough eyes from the fruit. Dice the fruit of the pineapple as well as the red pepper and red onion. Remove the jalapeño seeds and mince the jalapeño and garlic. Chop the cilantro.
- Combine: Place all of the prepped ingredients in a large mixing bowl, juice the lime over everything and add the salt. Mix well to combine, test the taste, and add a little extra salt if desired.
- Enjoy: Serve immediately or let sit for up to 20 minutes to let the flavors meld first. Leftover salsa will stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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