Pineapple Salsa Recipe

This homemade pineapple salsa goes on the grill before it goes in the bowl. Charred pineapple, sweet onion, and seeded jalapenos blend with pineapple juice, lime, and cilantro into something smoky, sweet, and slightly chunky. I love that it is only 15 minutes from start to spoon.

The first time I roasted pineapple for a salsa was at a backyard cookout where I had a grill running for chicken thighs and figured the pineapple slabs and onion halves might as well take up the empty real estate. Fifteen minutes later there was a bowl of smoky pineapple salsa next to my grilled pork tenderloin and the chicken got the leftovers.Char is the difference between sweet and complicated. The minute the pineapple hits the grates and starts to caramelize, the sugars darken, the acid focuses, and a familiar fruit suddenly tastes new. It has the same bright, sweet, and tangy freshness I love in my homemade mango salsa.

Pineapple Salsa

Pineapple is native to South America, carried into the Caribbean by indigenous traders before Columbus brought it back to Europe on his second voyage in 1493. Mexican and Caribbean cooks have paired pineapple with sharp peppers and acid for generations, and this fire-roasted, blended style is the modern take that pulled the dish onto American backyard grills.

What I like about this version is that the grill does the seasoning for you. The char on the pineapple builds a depth no fresh-diced bowl can touch, the onion smooths out, and the jalapeno loses its raw bite while keeping the heat. I roast everything until I see grill marks set in dark, then drop it into the blender with pineapple juice, lime, and cilantro and pulse until it is smooth but still slightly chunky.

As you already know, I like to keep my recipes simple but versatile. If you want it sweeter, add a splash of orange juice. If you want it hotter, leave the seeds in one of the two jalapenos. This summer I highly recommend you to make it once and you will keep finding excuses to fire the grill back up for it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Six ingredients hit the grill or the blender, and the work each one does changes when you put fire under it. Here is what I use to make pineapple salsa:

• Pineapple – A fresh peeled, cored, and sliced pineapple is best. However, you can use canned ring pineapple. Be sure that it is drained and patted dry with paper towels.
• Onion – You can use a white, yellow, sweet, or red onion.
• Peppers – I like to use jalapenos, but other options are serrano, poblano, or red finger chilis.
• Oil – Olive or avocado oil is best. However, feel free to use your favorite neutral-flavored oil.
• Juice – I use pineapple juice and freshly squeezed lime juice. You can substitute the pineapple juice for orange juice and the lime for lemon juice.
• Herbs – Fresh cilantro is highly encouraged because it helps to add lemon-lime flavors to the salsa. You could also add or substitute dry oregano.
• Seasonings – Only coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper is used.

How to Make Pineapple Salsa

Heat the grill: Bring the grill to high heat, around 450 to 550 degrees. Lower heat will steam the pineapple, and steam is the opposite of the char this salsa runs on.

Prep the produce: Peel and core the pineapple, then slice into thick half-inch rings. Peel the onion and cut into thick rings. Halve the jalapenos lengthwise and scrape the seeds out with the back of a spoon.

Oil and season: Coat the pineapple, onion, and jalapenos in olive oil and season with coarse salt. Skip the pepper for now. Black pepper scorches on a hot grill, so it goes in the blender at the end.

Grill the fruit and aromatics: Lay everything on the grates and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side. Pull each piece off when dark grill marks set in. The pineapple should be firm enough to lift cleanly off the grates with tongs. Overcooked, it falls apart on the way to the bowl.

Rest before blending: Move everything to a sheet tray for 2 or 3 minutes so the steam vents. Trapped steam in the blender turns the salsa watery.

Blend with the wet ingredients: Pile the grilled fruit, onion, and jalapenos into a blender. Add the pineapple juice, the juice of the lime, the cilantro, a few cracks of black pepper, and a pinch more salt. Pulse on high in short bursts until it is smoothed out but still slightly chunky. Pulse, not run continuously, or you will end up with smoothie texture.

Taste and adjust: Salt, lime, or a splash more pineapple juice if it tastes flat. The salsa should taste smoky first, sweet second, and acidic on the finish.

Serve or chill: Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate 30 minutes for a tighter spoon.

chef tip + notes

All I can say is that the two things that separate a smoky fire-roasted pineapple salsa from a sad blended fruit pulp are dry produce going onto the grates and short pulses on the blender.

• Dry your produce before it hits the grill: Pat the pineapple, onion, and jalapeno slices with paper towels. Surface moisture turns to steam, and steam stops the Maillard reaction cold. No char without dry surfaces.
• Pulse, do not blend: Hit the blender in two-second bursts, stop, scrape down, repeat. Running it straight through turns the salsa into a smoothie.
• Char marks are the seasoning: If the pineapple does not have dark grill stripes, the salsa will taste flat no matter what you add. Push past polite golden brown to actual black-edged stripes.
• Save some texture: Pull a few small pieces of grilled pineapple and onion before blending and stir them back in at the end. The chunks give the spoon something to bite into.

Serving Suggestions

This is a backyard salsa for me. I make it the same afternoon I am firing the grill for grilled pork chops or grilled lobster tails, and the pineapple goes on the cooler edge of the grates while the protein is searing. By the time the meat is resting, the salsa is in the blender.

On a different night, I will spoon it over chicken inasal, or I will run a bowl of plain tortilla chips through it next to a stack of blackened mahi mahi tacos on a Tuesday night. The salsa pulls double duty as a topping and a dip, which is why I make extra and put the rest in the fridge.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: I prep and grill the fruit and aromatics up to a day ahead and refrigerate everything in a covered container. On serving day, I blend with the pineapple juice, lime, cilantro, and seasoning fresh. The herbs and acid lose snap if they sit in the blended salsa overnight.

How to Store: Pour blended salsa into an airtight jar and refrigerate up to 4 days. The flavor sharpens after the first 24 hours as the smoke settles in.

How to Reheat: This is a serve-cold or room-temperature salsa. If it has been in the fridge, take it out 15 minutes before serving so it is not stiff out of the jar.

How to Freeze: Freezes well for up to 2 months in a sealed container. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then pulse once in the blender to wake the texture back up. The cilantro will look duller after the freeze, so stir in a fresh small handful when you serve.

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Pineapple Salsa Recipe

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4.91 from 10 votes

This homemade pineapple salsa goes on the grill before it goes in the bowl. Charred pineapple, sweet onion, and seeded jalapenos blend with pineapple juice, lime, and cilantro into something smoky, sweet, and slightly chunky. I love that it is only 15 minutes from start to spoon.

Servings: 4 cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

• 1 peeled, cored, and thickly sliced pineapple
• 1 peeled and thickly sliced sweet onion
• 2 seeded jalapeños
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup pineapple juice
• Juice of 1 lime
• ¼ cup packed fresh cilantro
• coarse salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the grill to high heat (450° to 550°).
• Coat the pineapple, onion, and jalapeños in olive oil and evenly spread everything out on a hot pre-heated grill for 3-5 minutes per side or until dark grill marks are formed and everything is roasted. Everything should be cooked but not mushy.
• Put the vegetables and fruit into a blender along with the pineapple juice, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper and pulse on high speed until it is smoothed out but still slightly chunky.
• Serve.

Notes

All I can say is that the two things that separate a smoky fire-roasted pineapple salsa from a sad blended fruit pulp are dry produce going onto the grates and short pulses on the blender.

Dry your produce before it hits the grill: Pat the pineapple, onion, and jalapeno slices with paper towels. Surface moisture turns to steam, and steam stops the Maillard reaction cold. No char without dry surfaces.

Pulse, do not blend: Hit the blender in two-second bursts, stop, scrape down, repeat. Running it straight through turns the salsa into a smoothie.

Char marks are the seasoning: If the pineapple does not have dark grill stripes, the salsa will taste flat no matter what you add. Push past polite golden brown to actual black-edged stripes.

Save some texture: Pull a few small pieces of grilled pineapple and onion before blending and stir them back in at the end. The chunks give the spoon something to bite into.

Make-Ahead: I prep and grill the fruit and aromatics up to a day ahead and refrigerate everything in a covered container. On serving day, I blend with the pineapple juice, lime, cilantro, and seasoning fresh. The herbs and acid lose snap if they sit in the blended salsa overnight.

How to Store: Pour blended salsa into an airtight jar and refrigerate up to 4 days. The flavor sharpens after the first 24 hours as the smoke settles in.

How to Reheat: This is a serve-cold or room-temperature salsa. If it has been in the fridge, take it out 15 minutes before serving so it is not stiff out of the jar.

How to Freeze: Freezes well for up to 2 months in a sealed container. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then pulse once in the blender to wake the texture back up. The cilantro will look duller after the freeze, so stir in a fresh small handful when you serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 10mgPotassium: 388mgFiber: 4gSugar: 29gVitamin A: 274IUVitamin C: 123mgCalcium: 49mgIron: 1mg

Course: sauce, side

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Chef Billy Parisi