spicy pineapple & roasted tomatillo salsa.

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pineapple salsaaaaaa! spicy! roasty! sweet! salty! juicy! fresh! all the good things.

this is inspired by a salsa that i had in hawaii a few years back. i made a copycat version of it a long time ago, loved it, and then completely forgot about it.  since we're headed to mexico in a week, i've got tacos, guac, salsa, and margs on the brain.

there are a lot of fruit salsas out there that you kind of have to be in the mood for. a homemade version is always primo because you can control the sweetness. store bought kinds are often like eating soft fruit candy on chips. tooooo sweet.

the roasted flavor of the tomatillos really helps tame down the sweetness of the pineapple, while the garlic and spicy chiles kick up the flavor.

as i mentioned before, we ate this salsa a la carte, and also on some deeeeelicious spam tacos pete and i made with homemade tortillas.  

here's me channeling spring & summer vibes in the dead of winter.

this salsa is super tasty when served nice and cold. so fresh!

Spicy Pineapple & Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Makes about 16 oz.

(Store in airtight container in the fridge, about 7-10 days)

Ingredients:

  • 5 or 6 tomatillos
  • 1/2 a fresh pineapple, cut into chunks - an additional 1 cup chopped into bits
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 1 red chile
  • 1 TB minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. salt (+ extra to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • juice of 1/2 of a lime
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions-

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel the skin off the tomatillos, chop in half, and remove the core. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.  Place the tomatillos on the baking sheet, and place on center rack for about 20 minutes.  Remove from baking sheet immediately and let cool on a plate.

Cut 1/2 of the fresh pineapple into chunks. Chop an extra cup of pineapple into small bits. Slice open the jalapeño and red chile and remove the seeds.

In a food processor, place the pineapple, garlic, and tomatillos and mix until almost puréed. Add the jalapeño, chile, salt and pepper and pulse until the chiles are chopped finely.  Add fresh lime juice. Quickly pulse the cilantro into the mix. 

Add the extra pineapple bits and fold into the salsa with a spoon.

Garnish with cilantro leaves when serving.

enjoy!

 

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