Pineapple salsa is a beautiful fruit salad with a spicy kick. It's insanely delicious and completely healthy. Pineapple is the secret ingredient to the best version of sweet salsa de piña - it's perfect for steak tacos, fish tacos, and grilled pork steak.
Pineapple salsa is a bright fruit salsa which pairs well with mild proteins, such as chicken, pork tenderloin, and fish. It's especially good on tacos, pulled pork, and on baked things like pizzas and tostadas.
The pineapple is one of the most widely produced tropical fruits in the world and pineapple salsa is traditionally served with a variety of meats or fish. Despite being commonly associated with Hawaii, the pineapple is a native of South America. One of the common uses of the fruit in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz is salsa de piña.
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 cup pineapple finely diced
- 1 cup mango finely diced
- 1 apple any crisp variety, finely diced
- 1 cup raspberries halved
- 1 cup strawberries diced
- 2 kiwis peeled and finely diced
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- A small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped optional
- A pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients into the large bowl. Sprinkle some sea salt over the ingredients.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle over the sugar.
- Gently mix to combine then scatter over the fresh mint.
- Next, squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle over the sugar. Gently mix to combine then scatter over the fresh mint. Pineapple salsa is ready!
Pineapple Salsa Ingredients
- Pineapple, mango and apple
- Raspberries, strawberries, and kiwis
- Pomegranate seeds
- Lemon and lime
- Granulated white sugar
- Sea salt
How to make pineapple salsa
Make sure to have a large bowl ready and add all the diced fruit: place the chopped pineapple, mango, kiwis, strawberries, and pomegranate seeds to a large mixing bowl. Add the juice of the lime, along with sugar and a pinch of salt (unless you did a salt soak, in which case omit it).
Mix well, until the ingredients are uniformly distributed. You can serve the salsa de piña immediately, but the flavor will improve if you let it rest before serving.
Next, squeeze over the lemon juice and sprinkle over the salsa. Gently mix to combine then scatter over the fresh mint. Pineapple salsa is ready!
How to soak pineapple in salt water
Salt soak is optional. I didn't soak my pineapple slices, I simply sprinkled them with salt, but you can take individual pineapple slices and dip them in a solution of 1 teaspoon kosher salt and about a cup of filtered water. This will make the pineapple a little salty, but pineapple's sweetness will taste even better.
How long should I soak my pineapple. Soak freshly cut pineapple in a saltwater for 30 minutes.
Why soak pineapple. Soaking pineapple in saltwater can enhance the pineapple's natural sweetness by reacting with the fruit's acids, and it will also reduce the tingling sensation caused by bromelain, an enzyme in pineapple, by neutralizing it.
Pineapple Salsa variations
Add some heat. If you want a spicier salsa, include the jalapeño seeds, increase the number of jalapeños, or use a hotter pepper.
Add orange juice. Orange juice or grapefruit juice can be used instead of the lime juice in this recipe.
Use onions: You can also add diced onions to the pineapple salsa.
Serving suggestions
Serve pineapple salsa along pork carintas, tacos al pastor and fish tacos. The juices of salsa will flow through the tacos via gravity and make the taco filling taste amazing.
I also like to freeze my pineapple salsa specifically for Mexican meats, generally chicken and pork, and I'll combine it with dried chiles (guajillo) for a marination that'll get grilled or baked for things like tacos and tostadas.
Black bean patties, pork tacos/nachos, blackened chicken and charred vegetables (corn, peppers, etc), protein bowls with brown rice or sweet potato base, avocado and other toppings/ingredient, and many more!
Pineapple salsa is really good on roast pork or pulled pork as well as pizza with bacon too!
Tips and tricks for success
Add lemon juice: I added the juice of one lemon to the salsa which helps to preserve the fruit and stops it from browning but also adds a bright citrusy flavor.
Use sugar! Just a little bit - one tablespoon of sugar does help turn the fruit juices syrupy which is really nice, especially the next day spooned over yogurt or granola. You can use honey, maple syrup or agave if you prefer.
Alternatively, you might not want to sweeten your salsa at all.
Get creative: You can use any fruit you like for this pineapple salsa. The fruits listed here are for inspiration and can be swapped out for whatever is in season.
One cup of fruit per person: To serve six people you'll want roughly six cups of finely diced fruit for an amazing pineapple salsa.
Finely chop each fruit: It's worth taking the extra time to finely dice each fruit. A small dice means you're far more likely to get a sample of every fruit in every mouthful which makes for a flavor explosion!
Storage
Pineapple Salsa will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container and should be
refrigerated.
I recommend that you prepare this recipe at the beginning of the week and store it to enjoy later. Just place the salsa de piña into an airtight container in the fridge, and you've got the perfect snack ready to go!
Jeff says
I made this salsa with jalapeños and next time will get pickled jalapeños
Olya says
I like the pickled jalapeno idea very much!