This fresh pineapple salsa is a fabulous, healthy topping for grilled chicken and seafood. This little bite of sunshine is the perfect summer salsa, just the right amount of sweet and spicy.
This easy pineapple salsa is the tropical alternative to Pico de Gallo!
Grilling season is all about grilled chicken and fish with extra saucy marinades. Fruit salsas are some of my favorite side dishes to make in the summer.
A fresh salsa that's sweet and juicy, with just the right amount of spicy heat, makes everything taste better.
Recipe Notes
Once you learn how to make this easy salsa recipe, you can make it a million different ways with almost any fruit you like. You knew tomatoes were a fruit, right? Of course, you did. You're one smart cookie.
Ingredients for fruit salsa
- Pineapple: 2 cups of fruit, diced
- Onion: I like to use red onion in my fruit salsas.
- Peppers: I usually go for Serrano peppers. If you want a little less heat, opt for jalapeños.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is the go-to!
- Aromatics: Fresh cilantro, basil, or mint.
Just a note about frozen fruit:
We all like fresh ingredients, of course, but you can definitely use frozen fruit when making fruit salsa recipes. It is best, however, to thaw the fruit and then drain off the excess liquid before making the salsa.
Canned pineapple can also be used in this recipe.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Dice the onion and the Serrano peppers. Add lime juice and salt. Let this marinate while you cut up the fresh pineapple.
Step 2: Add the diced pineapple.
Step 3: Add the chopped cilantro and toss.
FAQs and Pro Tips
Fish and fruit salsa is a fantastic combo. I like to keep things simple, so I will typically add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice and a little bit of salt and pepper to my fish before I grill it. If you want a little bit of spice, you can add a little chili powder and some paprika.
Steakier fish like mahi-mahi or swordfish grills well. Salmon is also another good
choice for grilling.
If you are using a lighter white fish, broiling is a great way to cook fish. Give it a quick mist with cooking spray along with your spices.
You can easily keep fresh salsa in the fridge in an airtight container for several weeks.
The skin of the pineapple should be yellow and not have too much brown on it.
The "belly button" of the pineapple should smell sweet and pineapple-y. This is the thick round circle on the bottom of the pineapple.
Gently tug on one of the pineapple leaves. If the pineapple is ripe, the leaf should pull out fairly easily.
Step 1: Cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple.
Step 2: Stand the pineapple up on one end and cut the skin off by slicing with your knife from top to bottom, following the contour of the pineapple. Make sure you cut deeply enough so that you are cutting most of the brown spikes off.
Step 3: Cut the pineapple in half down the core. Then cut each half in half again, also down the heart. You should end up with four long triangularish shaped pieces.
Step 4: Cut the core out of the pineapple by slicing it off each of the pieces.
Step 5: Cut into pieces or dice.
Recipe Variations
Remember, the basic ingredients of salsa can be wrapped around almost any fruit. Restaurant style salsa is just a quick chop away! These are some of my favorite combinations.
- Melons: Cantaloupe and watermelon make delicious salsas. Melon salsa is great with spicier grilled meats. The sweetness adds the perfect balance.
- Mangoes: Mango Salsa is one of my favorites. Serve with shrimp tacos for wow-tastic Taco Tuesdays!
- Strawberries: Strawberry salsa made with basil and balsamic vinegar is perfect with grilled chicken. Serve the leftovers in flour tortillas for lunch the next day for a quick and satisfying wrap.
- Peaches: Peach salsa and grilled pork is a marriage made in heaven. Try this with some charred red bell peppers. For a decadent dessert, serve up some cinnamon tortilla chips!
- Corn: Ok, it's technically not a fruit, but fresh corn salsa is eat-right-out-of-the-bowl delicious. Add some black beans and tortilla chips, and you've got yourself a meal!
What to serve with Pineapple Salsa?
I first made this homemade salsa recipe to go with my Jerk Chicken Recipe.
Spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken with this sweet and spicy salsa is so good! Check out the recipe. You can grill or bake the Jerk Chicken.
My Jerk Chicken Bowl is a mouthful of flavor. Spicy chicken, Jamaican rice and peas, and roasted plantains give you the bowl version of a tropical vacation.
Another great option is the Fish Taco Meal Prep Bowl.
Other recipes that are amazing with salsa:
Other light summer recipes you might like:
- Lemongrass Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Barbecue Pork Skewers with Peach Bourbon Barbeque Sauce.
- Roasted Corn Salsa
- Elotes — Mexican Street Corn
More salsa recipes
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh pineapple diced
- 2 Serrano or jalapeno peppers finely diced
- 1/3 cup red onion finely diced
- 2 tbsp cilantro minced
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 1 lime juiced
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and stir.
Notes
- Thaw the pineapple in a mesh strainer over a bowl to remove the excess water.
- Once the pineapple is thawed, dice and add the remaining ingredients.
- Choose pineapple in juice, not the sweetened variety. Also, use rings or diced pineapple.
- Drain the pineapple and dice.
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