A vibrant salsa with both sweet and heat. Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa with Coconut and Lime is a delicious snack and a topping for burgers and grilled meats.
To cut up the pineapple, use a sharp knife to slice off the top and the very bottom. Hold the pineapple upright and use the knife to carefully slice down and cut away the skin from the outside. Cut away any eyes that remain. Finally, slice the pineapple away from the core using downward cuts to remove the fruit in long planks.
Discard the skin, top and core. Dice up the planks of pineapple into ½-inch sized pieces. (I did not get perfect cubes so no worries if you don't either! Just try to cut them as uniformly as possible.) Place the diced pineapple in a large bowl.
Add onion and coconut:
Add the diced red onion to the bowl with the pineapple.
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.
Char and chop the pepper:
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.
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.
Finish the salsa:
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.
Notes
Take time to slice the ingredients into the same size dice. This will give you a more consistent salsa texture and let you get a little bit of everything in each bite.
Store leftover salsa covered in the fridge for up to two days.