But sometimes the guac needs a companion. Usually, I reach for a jarred bottle of salsa, but a few months ago I watched America's Test Kitchen taste-test store-bought salsas and it kind of turned me off. It never occurred to me that store-bought salsa is cooked. Which...I mean, duh, Lisa. To me, salsa implies freshness. But all preserved things—even salsa—get boiled before they get jarred.
And really, how easy is it to make yourself? Very. It's just as simple as my beloved guacamole, so I am going to make an effort to make it more often.
I made this recipe with my mom in mind. She lives in Florida and every summer she gets heaps of mangoes from our uncles' overproductive mango tree. Over the years, she's come to really love mangoes and can make all kinds of things with them, in addition to eating them as is—the best way. But no matter how creative she gets (mango gelato and sorbet, mango cake, mango fruit salad) there are always a few oversized fruits sitting on the kitchen windowsill, waiting to be eaten.
When making salsa for our second picnic, I added a chopped mango into the standard tomato-onion-jalapeno mixture. Although the tomatoes were red and ripe, they weren't the fruity, juicy kinds you get later on in the summer, so I picked up a mango at the grocery store as well. My plan worked: the mango, which was delicious, helped elevate the somewhat flavorless tomatoes and made the salsa quite tasty.
I regret not adding a bell pepper to this. I would add a chopped red or yellow pepper in the future and have added it to the recipe below.
(Serves 4 to 6 people)
2 large, ripe tomatoes cut into small cubes
1 large ripe mango, cut into small cubes
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 jalapeno (or to taste), minced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, minced
1 handful cilantro minced (optional--I left this out)
1 lime, juiced
Salt to taste
Combine all ingredients except for the salt in a large bowl. Stir gently until combined. Add salt to taste. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, or you can refrigerate for up to one hour.