I attended a party at a friend’s house recently and was asked to bring my restaurant style salsa. I went a bit crazy actually and brought that as well as my chunky salsa, a guacamole and this mango salsa I’m about to show you how to make. The star of the party? Mango salsa, hands down!
Mango Salsa Recipe
The day of the party, everyone was raving about this pineapple mango salsa that I threw together based off of what I had in my kitchen. That was pretty astonishing considering it was not at all mango season. I made this for a New Year’s Eve party!
Now that barbecue season is upon us, I thought it was high time I added my mango salsa and this strawberry salsa to this blog. Both of these fruit salsas are delicious!
How to select a ripe mango
- Choosing ripe mangos can be tricky unless you know what to look for. The color of the mango’s skin is not an indicator of ripeness, but rather the variety of the fruit. According to the National Mango Board, a ripe mango will give slightly when you squeeze it, similar to a peach or avocado.
- Another way to gauge ripeness is to smell the stem end. A ripe mango will smell like, well, a mango! This video from the National Mango Board shows how to pick a ripe mango.
How to cut a mango
Mangoes are delicious, but they can be frustrating to cut if you don’t know how to do it. I’m including a video below of four different ways to cut a mango. I would recommend the first method for salsa, but the fourth method is fun and makes for a pretty presentation.
Other ingredients in my mango salsa
- I also use pineapple in this salsa recipe. You can use canned pineapple, but I recommend fresh pineapple as it has a firmer texture that will hold up better in the salsa. You can usually buy cored, fresh pineapple in the produce department of your local grocer, or you can buy an entire pineapple and use the extra for another pineapple recipe.
- The other fresh ingredients I use are cucumber (English cucumber works as well), red bell pepper and red onion. I wouldn’t recommend using green bell pepper in this recipe simply because it’s not as mellow as red, but yellow or orange bell pepper have milder flavors and will work well. Plus the red, yellow or orange bellow pepper add gorgeous color to this salsa!
- It’s best to use red onion, as yellow and white onion can be too harsh. However, Vidalia sweet onions would be an acceptable substitute.
- Don’t be afraid of the jalapeno! As long as you remove the white pith and the seeds, fresh jalapeno is not super hot and adds a nice little bite to this mango salsa.
- I use lime in this recipe and it’s what I recommend. Lemon can be substituted but will give it a different flavor, try to go with lime. For those wondering, you can use bottled lime juice, I prefer freshly squeezed.
- Finally, don’t skip the fresh cilantro! Fresh cilantro has such a distinct flavor, it really kicks this salsa up a notch.
- You’re also going to need fresh limes, ground cumin and Kosher salt.
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- I am not much of a gadget person, but there’s one “gadget” that I absolutely love and use all the time. It’s my Vidalia Chop Wizard and it’s ideal for chopping ingredients for salsa! I even bought one for my daughter for Christmas and she uses hers all the time too!
- I also think every kitchen should have a really big mixing bowl. When mixing up salsa for a crowd, you need something big enough to allow you to mix and turn your ingredients and get everything incorporated.
- A good knife is a cook’s best friend. Trying to slice a tomato with a dull knife is fruitless.
- It’s certainly not a deal breaker, but having a pretty serving set for your chips and salsa is great for potlucks, parties, barbecues as well as baby and bridal showers.
This mango salsa is absolutely delicious. My friend Cathy texted me on New Year’s Day and said she couldn’t find the recipe on my blog.
She insisted I send it to her and proceeded to make it 4 times over the next couple of months. She told me they couldn’t get enough of it and it was their new favorite snack! I hope you get a chance to try it too.
If you are a salsa fan you’ll definitely want to check out this pineapple salsa as well as this amazing cranberry salsa. I can’t close this post without telling you about these super yummy loaded nachos as well. Hope you have a great week!
Switch it up and bring a Bruschetta for your guests! Because who doesn’t love a salsa-like concoction atop a piece of warm sliced bread? It’s truly addicting. Another great BBQ dip is Cowboy Caviar. Your guests will thank you.
More Salsa Recipes
- Salsa Fresca
- Salsa Verde (Green Salsa)
- Tomatillo Onion Acovado Salsa
- Corn Salsa
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Halloween Eyeball Salsa
Mango Salsa
IMPORTANT - There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Print It Rate ItIngredients
- 3 medium ripe mangos diced - about 3 cups
- 1 cup chopped pineapple
- 1 large cucumber peeled and diced
- 1 large red bell pepper chopped
- ½ cup chopped red onion
- ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 medium jalapeño seeded and minced
- 1 large lime juiced (about ¼ cup lime juice)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Simply combine ingredients in a large bowl, stirring and turning to combine.
- Serve with tortilla chips.
Nutrition
Amanda Davis
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Martina says
Hi Amanda,
may I ask you a – probably very silly – question? (Sorry for that.) I’d love to try you salsa. It sounds delicious! But how do you actually server/eat salsa? To my excuse, salsa is not traditional food in Germany and therefore not as common as in the US. Do you put some salsa onto your plate to eat it or does everybody scoop it up from the same bowl with chips?
Thank you!
Tina
Amanda Formaro says
Hi Martina! Salsa can be served with crunchy tortilla chips or crackers, or served over grilled fish or pork. You can all share from the same bowl or serve it out on plates or in bowls, whatever you are more comfortable with! :)
Nichi - The Mandatory Mooch says
Amanda, Thank for contributing this recipe to my Craft & Food Roundups post. I have featured it in my latest post “17 Amazing Picnic Side Dishes”. Come check it out and feel free to share with your friends!! Thanks, Nichi http://www.mandatorymooch.com/2018/06/17-amazing-picnic-side-dishes.html
Amanda Formaro says
Thanks for including me!