Mango Salsa

As summer gets into full swing, and the variety of in season fruits and veggies increases, I will most likely be posting more recipe blogs and less environmentally friendly related blogs. Not that I haven't been making new environmental changes to my life, but I've been trying out so many new recipes and I want to share them all! Well, the good ones at least... This mango salsa is perfect for summertime. It still has the spiciness and freshness (from a habanero and cilantro) of a tomato based salsa, but the mango adds a nice fruity layer. I discovered this recipe in my favorite cooking magazine... Fine Cooking! Beware of the habanero, it is one of the hottest chili peppers. It is only about 2 inches long (see picture below), but it packs a punch! For this reason, see my safety tip after the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/4 inch dice (about 1 1/4 cups)
kosher salt
2 mangoes (about 1 1/2 lbs), pitted and cut into 1/2 inch dice (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 habanero (or 2 jalapenos), stemmed, seeded and very finely diced (about 1 tbsp)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Heat the oil in a medium (10 inch) skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and red pepper, sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring until the vegetables just start to brown and soften a bit, about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate to cool. Once cool, transfer to a medium bowl and toss with the mangoes, cilantro, habanero and 1 tbsp lime juice. Season the salsa with the remaining tbsp of lime juice if needed and serve.

NOTE: This recipe says that you can serve the salsa right away (and you can), BUT it tastes much better if left in the fridge over night. The spiciness of the habanero soaks into the salsa a little more and the mangoes get toned down a little bit and come into more harmony with the peppers and onions instead of standing out too much. Either way, this salsa is delicious!

SAFETY TIP: Wear gloves while cutting the habanero! If you were to use bare hands and then rub an eye... oh boy would that burn! It's also important to dice the habanero very finely as a means to prevent someone from biting into a big piece and getting more spice than they bargained for. Like I said, when the salsa is left over night to marinate, it brings out the spiciness beautifully. There is no need for big habanero chunks in here, dice it as finely as possible and wash your knife and cutting board after use.