Sweet and Hot Pineapple Salsa

Pineapples have been on sale in the market quite often lately. I can't resist buying them, I love them so. Wiki tells me they're available all year long because they're grown in temperate climates. So I can't explain why they've been cheap. But I did learn that, like bananas and tomatoes, the pineapple is chill-sensitive, so they should not be stored in the fridge and they will ripen more at room temp. I let my pineapple sit on the counter until I cut it up, but then I cut it into chunks and snack on it all day right from the fridge.

It is also fun to make a pineapple salsa. Pineapple pairs well with savory foods and the heat of a chile pepper plays off that tart flavor and is cooled the cilantro. Whole Foods cracks me up; charging 5.99 lb for a tiny bit of prepared pineapple salsa. Cilantro is 3 bunches for a dollar at my market and I would guess one serrano chile could cost at most a dime. So you're much better off buying a whole pineapple, making your own salsa and having a least a half pineapple left for snacking.

Here we paired the salsa with grilled mahi mahi. I seasoned the mahi with a southwestern spice mix and a squeeze of lime. Dear husband grilled it along with some asparagus and we embellished the plate with the pineapple salsa. Any leftover salsa can be finished off by the cook as she cleans up the dinner dishes. It also can fancy up a salad quite nicely and is great on a taco with spicy pork.

Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple, small dice.
Red bell pepper, small dice
Red onion, small dice
Fresh green chile (most likely serrano or jalapeno) teeny-tiny dice
Cilantro, chopped fine (not optional in my humble opinion)
Lime, squeeze to taste
a dash of salt

Adjust amounts for however much you want to end up with. Chop everything about the same size. Mix all ingredients to taste. Eliminate what you don't like. Serve with fish or spicy pork.