When sweet and spicy mix, you get some real amazing flavors. Take this strawberry salsa, which combines the mild light medium heat of a jalapeño pepper with the sweet tang of strawberry and the clean, refreshing taste of mint and cilantro. It’s the perfect combination for a hot day.
Jalapeño peppers work for many reasons in this spicy strawberry salsa. First, the heat is a very eatable low-medium level of spiciness (2,500 to 8,000 Scoville heat units), so most can enjoy this recipe. Second, green jalapeños (along with the cilantro, mint, and yellow bell peppers) are terrific color pairings with those delicious looking red strawberries. And then there’s the flavor of green jalapeños. They have a bright, grassy flavor which acts as a tasty culinary foil to the tangy sweetness of those strawberries, too.
If you want your strawberry salsa even spicier, try using serrano peppers instead of adding additional jalapeño. Serranos are noticeably hotter than jalapeños (10,000 to 23,000 SHU). That gives you the heat upgrade you want without messing with the balance of colors in this beautiful appetizer.
See it being made:
Like this salsa? You’ll enjoy these too:
- Easy Pico De Gallo: Garden-fresh, this salsa is delicious with tortilla chips, with tacos, or really any Mexican food.
- Spicy Blueberry Salsa: Sweet and earthy, blueberry salsa is tasty enough to eat on its own as a fiery dessert.
- Peach Habanero Salsa: Peaches and habaneros may seem like an unlikely duo, but they pair incredibly well.
Chunky Strawberry Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups strawberries diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeds removed and minced
- 1/2 cup red onion minced
- 1/2 cup bell pepper diced, yellow bell pepper looks great in this recipe
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint minced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a large bowl and toss.
- Let the salad rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to allow some of the strawberry juice to form in the mix.