Tropical Fruit Salsa

Despite having absolutely no cultural affiliation to the holiday, my parents take Cinco de Mayo very seriously. 

 

I’m not sure where it started, but years back, my dad suddenly decided this had to be a holiday we celebrated.  He bought sombreros for everyone, a string of jalapeno shaped Christmas lights, a CD of cheesy music, and of course, a boatload of Corona.  We grilled steak and hot peppers, drank margaritas, and lined up empty Corona bottles on the deck, and it became a yearly tradition. 

 

Now, each year we try out new recipes, and I wanted to share some of my favorites.  Today’s recipe is for Tropical Fruit Salsa, a festive, healthy, and delicious addition to the party.  I used this as a dip for chips, but I think it would also be extremely delicious spooned over grilled chicken, or maybe combined with brie into a (admittedly not very Mexican) quesadilla.

 

Take care with dicing your fruit, this is meant as a dip for chips so you want to dice it into very small pieces. 

 

Tropical Fruit Salsa, from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres Handbook

1 medium ripe papaya, small dice (¼ - ½  inch pieces)

1 medium ripe mango, small dice

½ a pineapple, small dice

1 medium jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced (taste your jalapeno first- sometimes they’re super mild and sometimes they are crazy hot! Know what you are working with before you move forward)

1 small red onion, small dice

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbsp lime zest

1 tbsp lime juice

Coarse salt

 

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients.  This can be made up to an hour ahead, but add the papaya just before serving.