Salsa Lessons pt 2: Mango Tango

your new favorite summer salsa

veggie skewers brushed w/ our mango pepper salsa and served over beans and our green rice

Welcome back all y’all dedicated to deliciousness, this is our second installment of our new series: Salsa Lessons. This week, it’s all about mango. 

brb, gonna go find a mango grove to nap in

As summer approaches you’ll see this tasty tropical fruit plentiful at markets, so if you’ve never had one, make this your summer of mango. When picking one out, ignore the colors. Unlike tomatoes or other fruits, the color of the skin on a mango doesn’t always tell you how ripe it is. Look for mangos whose skin isn’t blemished and is still taut, then give it a little squeeze. You want just a little bit of give to know that the fruit is ripe. Sorta like an avocado. Now when it comes to cutting a mango, you gotta know one thing: there's a giant oblong seed in the middle and you aren’t gonna cut through that shit. Instead, run your knife through the mango from top to bottom avoiding that tough pit. Think like you are peeling a huge chunk of flesh off the pit with your knife. Do that on all the sides of the mango.

the elusive mango hedgehog

Then cut a checkerboard pattern on the halves, making sure to not cut through the skin. Then cut around the edge of the mango half between the skin and the flesh. Sure this looks fucking rad but where  is this going? Just hang on. Then, using your thumbs, flip that shit inside out so that all your sweet mango cubes stick out like a hedgehog made of fruit. Scoop them out with a spoon and boom, you’ve got some delicious mango chunks ready to go.

Once you’ve mastered the mango, you’ve gotta make this salsa. If you’ve ever had mango salsa before, it's likely been a pico, sorta chunky kinda dip. But here we’re sauteing the mango then blending it with peppers and the mix of hot and sweet with the silkiness from the mango is fucking addicitive. If you like it extra hot two habaneros to the mix. Not a fan? Leave out all but one jalapeno. This salsa is great as a dip, drizzled over tacos and in burritos, or used to top grilled veggie skewers served with beans and rice. You are gonna want this in your fridge all summer, trust us.

Mango Pepper Salsa

Makes 1 ½ cups

1-2 jalapeno peppers

1 habanero pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium-sized mango, peeled and chopped*

¼ of a medium red onion, chopped

3 roma tomatoes, chopped 

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Juice from 2 limes

Salt to taste

Slice the jalapenos and habanero peppers in half, top to bottom, and scoop out the seeds. Place them cut side down on a baking sheet and brush the skins with a little oil. Place all of this under your broiler and let those fuckers roast until the skin on the peppers are burnt and blistered all over, about 10 minutes. 

While the peppers are roasting, warm up a saute pan over a medium high heat and drizzle in the oil. Toss in the onion, saute for 2 minutes then throw in the mango. Saute all of this together until the mango starts to soften up and the onion browns in some spots, about 5 minutes. Add the sauted mango and onion to your food processor or blender along with the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of salt.

When the peppers are good and roasted, gently peel off the skin and throw the flesh in the food processor. Now run that shit until it looks nice and smooth in there. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs, salt, lime juice, whatever. Serve right away or store it in the fridge until you're ready for it. It’s best the first 3 days after it’s made but it will last a week in the fridge.

* You want a mango that is ripe but not super soft.

---

Thanks again for joining us here in the recipe club section of The Broiler Room. We hope you’re loving these salsa lessons as much as we are. 

Michelle and Matt