The best part of this pico-style, Fresh Mango Salsa? Even mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
This recipe comes from the archives. In my early twenties, I spent most early mornings making Cuban-style coffee, buttery grilled toast, a citrusy-briny tapenade (more on this later), and one serious mango salsa that kept our regular morning cafe dwellers lingering through lunch.
I can still smell the cafe Cubanos and spicy hot chocolate every time I make this dish. It’s nostalgic for me and one I hope becomes a regular staple on your dining table.
You can read more about Cafe El Diablo in this old write up from the Seattle Coffee Scene blog. It was a really uniquely wonderful place.
Ingredients
- Mango
- Roma tomatoes
- Red onion
- Jalapenos or serrano peppers
- Cilantro
- Garlic
- Limes
- Chili powder
- Cumin
- Red pepper flakes
- Sea salt
Fresh Mango Salsa Recipe Notes
- Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
- Grating the garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
- Increase the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
- Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish. Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
Fresh Mango Salsa
This pico-style salsa is sweet and savory which means it has depth in flavor that plays well with your favorite grilled seafood or tacos, or maybe even a lovely addition to a 7-layer-dip. Spice it up or tone it down – it's versatile and delectable however you serve it up. The best part? Even the mango naysayers seem to love it. Take along as a side dish to your next cookout or bunko night and add some color and zip to the table.
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Cutting board or butcher block
- Chef's knife
- Paring knife
- Microplane or zester
- Handheld juicer
- Bench scraper
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Wooden spoon or rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1 Mango large, ripe
- 3-4 Tomatoes Roma
- 1 Red onion medium
- 1 Serrano OR jalapeno pepper for less spice remove seeds to decrease spice level
- 1 Cup Cilantro chopped
- 1 Clove Garlic grated
- 3-4 Limes medium, juiced (about ½ cup)
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt or to taste
Instructions
- Wash your produce well and set aside to dry, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel to speed up the process.
- Using your chef’s knife, hold the mango carefully with the stem up on the cutting board. Apply enough pressure to hold it steady while you slice into the mango on all sides, removing as much fruit as possible while avoiding the pit. Keep the peel on for now and focus on getting all the mango you can get.
- Using your paring knife, take the pieces of mango w/ peel on and slice them in to ½ inch strips. Then, score them into cubes, slicing the fruit but without slicing through the skin. Using your paring knife, carefully remove the skin from the mango, salvaging as much of the fruit as you can and discarding the skin. Add the cubes to your bowl.
- Quarter your Roma tomatoes and remove the juicy pockets and seeds. This will make your salsa less watered down and allow the flavors to shine.
- Dice the tomatoes into ¼ inch cubes and add to the large mixing bowl and set aside.
- Dice the onion into ¼ inch cubes and add to your bowl.
- Wearing gloves, slice your serrano or jalapeno in half lengthwise. At this point, you can remove the seeds by using a small spoon to scrape them out. If you’d like a spicy salsa, leave the seeds in. Half the peppers once more so you are left with four long strips. Line them up and dice into ¼ inch pieces. Add to your bowl.
- Rough chop the cilantro to the consistency you like. It can be fine or super rough and using the stems is fine, if you like them.
- Peel and grate the garlic and add to the bowl.
- Juice the limes until you have about ½ cup of fresh lime juice. Add to your bowl.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt.
- Give the salsa a good stir, incorporating all the ingredients until well combined.
- Serve cold or at room temperature with tortilla chips, over grilled fish or meat, or on your favorite tacos.
- Mango Salsa will store in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Notes
Mango is a pretty fibrous fruit and requires sharp knives to avoid smashing the fruit when chopping. It can also be difficult to get into tiny pieces without smashing, so I’m flexible on the size of the chop.
Grating garlic: This produces a fine paste-like result that opens up the essence of the garlic and lets the flavor really come through. I find I need less garlic in recipes when I use this method. You can use pre-pressed garlic or store-bought paste but it won’t yield the same pure garlic flavor.
Up the pepper ratio (red pepper flakes, serrano peppers) if you want to take this salsa up a few levels on the spicy front. Omit all three if you’d like to keep it mild.
Try serving this over grilled fish or combined with your favorite ceviche for a sweet and savory dish.
Or… try it on your carne asada or chicken adobo tacos.
If you’re looking for other flavor-forward salsa recipes, you might like the Spicy Jalapeno Salsa. It’s full of roasted veggie goodness and offers a bit of variety for your next Taco Tuesday.
