Hawaiian Sugarloaf Pineapple Salsa
Fruit salsas are one of my favorite go-to recipes. They can be thrown together in no time, which we all know can be the most desirable aspect of a recipe on a busy day. Speed was no doubt part of the appeal when I threw this together. I was in a rush and doubting my ability to squeeze in the time to take these pictures while the lighting was still in my favor and get a run in before heading off to dinner. I decided to go for it and whip this up because the pineapple was perfectly ripe and needed to be used, and I wanted to bring a pupu (hawaiian for appetizer) to our friend's house for dinner.
No time for perfect knife skills here, it’s a perfect recipe to quickly throw together. It can be made with any fruit: mango, peaches, even melon, and the best part is that it tastes great even before it’s done so you can snack the whole time. This salsa is of course wonderful with salty tortilla or taro chips, but it’s also amazing on a fresh piece of grilled fish.
There is a variety of pineapple in Hawaii that is incredibly sweet and juicy. Its tender, white flesh is known for being very low in acid. It is called Hawaiian white pineapple or Hawaiian sugarloaf, and as far as I know it can only be found in Hawaii. If you are ever in the islands, try to track one down, it’s worth seeking out! But don’t get discouraged or write this recipe off if you aren’t able to find a white pineapple. This recipe is delicious with any variety of pineapple or fruit as I mentioned. It’s one of those wonderful recipes that takes little to no measuring; when using all of these fresh and delicious ingredients all you have to do is throw them together and enjoy.
Fresh Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups white pineapple, diced into ¼ inch squares
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced into ¼ inch squares
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cup cilantro, chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- salt to taste
Mix all ingredients together, and allow the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes: Like I mentioned, just about any fruit is good in this. If you’d like to add a little protein to this dish, black beans go great in this salsa. Serve with chips as an appetizer or over fish or chicken as an entree. Or, do what I did and use the whole pineapple and double this recipe to have appetizers with friends one night and a refreshing fish dinner with the leftovers the following night.