Spicy Island Salsa with Pineapple & Coconut

This fruit salsa is fairly simple, with only six ingredients. Like the simple blend of fresh ingredients in Pico de Gallo, this simple salsa lets the fresh flavors shine through.

Pineapple is the star of this dish, and combined with the other flavors suggests a tropical island getaway.

When testing flavor combinations for this fruit salsa, I found myself thinking of fruit flavor combinations in drinks. Specifically a Piña Colada!

Bringing this flavor to a salsa means fresh pineapple and coconut, but no rum (that just didn’t seem appealing for an appetizer with chips.)  

The addition of lime zest and juice gives the salsa a very bright, clean edge. 

Grilled jalapeño brings a touch of smoky flavor, and some heat.

I have to mention too that it just looks pretty. The green flecks of lime against bright yellow pineapple are beautifully cheery and summery.

Spicy Island Salsa with Pineapple & Coconut

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh, whole pineapple
• 2/3-cup red onion, diced
• 1/4 cup of flaked sweetened coconut
• 1 small jalapeño
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Prep the pineapple: use a knife to slice off the top and bottom. Hole the pineapple upright and use the knife to carefully slice down and cut away the skin from the fruit. Cut away any eyes that remain. Finally, slice the pineapple away from the core using downward cuts to remove the fruit in long planks.
2. Discard the skin, top and core. Dice up the planks of pineapple into 1/2″ sized pieces. (I did not get perfect cubes so don’t worry if you don’t either! Just try to cut them as uniformly as possible.) Place the diced pineapple in a large bowl.
3. Add the diced red onion to the bowl with the pineapple.
4. Chop up the coconut either on a cutting board with a sharp knife or in a food processor. Add to the bowl with the pineapple.
5. Place the jalapeño into a small nonstick pan over high heat. Turn the pepper every minute or two until the skin is blistered and charred. Remove the pepper from the pan and allow to cool.
6. Use gloves if you do not want the oils from the jalapeño to get on your skin. Otherwise, keep your hands away from your face while working with the pepper and wash them well once done. Slice off and discard the stem. Slice the pepper in half lengthwise and use a ½-teaspoon sized measuring spoon to scoop out and discard the seeds and veins. Flatten the jalapeño on the cutting board. Remove and discard the skin. Finely dice the pepper and add it to the bowl.
7. Add the lime zest, lime juice and salt to the bowl and mix everything together until well-blended. Cover and allow the salsa to rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve the salsa with tortilla chips.

Makes about 4-5 cups of salsa, depending on the size of the pineapple.