|
 This
recipe is courtesy of Cynthia Detterick-Pineda of Andrews, TX. Check out more of Cynthia's
Southwest Cooking Recipes.
Salsas
are a main staple in Hispanic cooking, but they are certainly not limited to
what many people think of as “salsa.” I have found very few jarred salsas that
I would ever even consider serving on my table, and there really should be no
reason for anyone to resort to a jarred salsa when making one is so easy. This
recipe might let you see just how versatile a salsa can be. Mango salsa goes
wonderfully with fish and chicken dishes, as well as a being a unique dip. The
sweetness of the Mango is not overpowering, and the peppers and onions bring out
a bright new taste that I hope will be a nice surprise for you.
Check out Linda's
Appetizer Recipes
for more great appetizer ideas and also more Salsa Recipes.
Fresh Mango Salsa
1
large fresh mango
1 or 2 jalapeño
chile
pepper,
seeds and membranes removed and finely diced
1 small clove of
garlic,
crushed fine with 1 teaspoon of
sea salt
1/2 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 large red
onion,
finely diced (1/4 cup sliced green onions may be substituted)
Juice
of ½ fresh lime
Peel and
dice the Mango into 1/2-inch pieces.
Prepare
the jalapeno by removing the seeds and membranes and dicing, add to the Mango.
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Preparing Fresh Chile Peppers
- Photo Tutorial:
Warning: Always wear gloves when working
with hot chile peppers (fresh, dried or roasted
chiles). Never touch your eyes when working with
chiles.
Gloves will protect your hands,
but the capsicum oil in the chile pepper sticks
to all it touches, and if you touch near your
eyes it will burn. Rinse well with copious
amounts of water. If the chile is too hot for
your taste buds, drinking milk is a sure way to
stop the burn. Sugar may also help.
Please don't learn this lesson the hard
way!
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Wash
the chile pepper first.
There
is no certain way to tell if a
pepper is hot by looking at it,
although I have heard many, many
wife's tales about dark spots,
cracks and anything else. But the
only sure way to tell is by
tasting. |
Slice the chile
pepper down the center with the tip
of your knife. |
You can see the
membranes and seeds here in these
two halves. The membranes are where
the capsicum is stored. It is this
part of the chile pepper that
carries the heat.
The seeds are not as
hot, but since they are a part of
the membrane they do have a slight
bit more heat than the green outer
chile pepper.
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If you are simply
dicing your chiles, the easiest way
to clean them is to cut them into
quarters. Then you can simply slide
a sharp knife carefully down the
green outer part of the chile pepper
removing the white membrane and the
seeds.
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Remove the paper skin from the garlic by hitting it with the flat side
of a large knife, and then dicing coarsely. Sprinkle the salt over the
garlic and use the flat side of your knife to “crush” the garlic clove
into a paste. The abrasive salt is what helps to make it a fine
consistency.
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Preparing Garlic for
Cooking - Photo Tutorial:
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Pull
off a the number of cloves required for your recipe. |
Using
the flat side of a large knife, carefully hit the clove
with the knife using the palm of your hand.
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This will crush the clove
partially and break loose the paper like skin around it. |
You can now easily peel
off the skin. |
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Coarsely chop the garlic. |
Add
the salt, using the amount required in the recipe or a
part of that amount. If you are not adding the entire
amount of salt, don’t forget to add the rest later.
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Using
your palm against the flat blade again, press down
forcing the salt to rub into the garlic. This will
grind the garlic into a fine almost paste. |
The
resulting garlic and salt mix will be finely chopped,
easier to distribute through-out the recipe. |
Dice the bell pepper and onion, and add this along with the crushed
garlic. Stir the mixture well.
Squeeze
the lime half over the mixture, and stir it well. Not only
will the lime give a tartness to the salsa, it will help keep the other
ingredients fresh and slow any browning to the mango pieces.
Refrigerate this for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to incorporate well.
Serves
approximately 4 to 6 people
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