Pineapple Mango Salsa

a white dish filled with pineapple mango salsa.

Want a quick and easy pineapple mango salsa to perk up pork, add oomph to seafood or to munch as a healthy snack with whole grain chips? This simple tropical salsa is it. With spicy jalapenos and red peppers, bright lime and tingly fresh ginger, you’ll love my spicy mango salsa with all your grilled favorites this summer. 

ingredients for tropical salsa

Here in the tropics, mango season hits in June and continues right through September. I can’t even explain the sheer volume of mangoes we’re inundated with during the summer months, so this pineapple mango salsa is more of a necessity than something novel, at least for us. 

Tropical pineapple mango salsa ingredients:

  • Ripe Mango
  • Fresh Pineapple
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Red Onion
  • Jalapeno
  • Red Chile
  • Lime
  • Cilantro
  • Ginger

You don’t need a whole pineapple for this recipe, in fact, just one or two slices will give you enough fruit for the tropical salsa. I prefer fresh pineapple, but you can use canned if that’s what you have on hand.

diced pineapple and mango cubes in a glass bowl.

To add the requisite heat to the fresh salsa, I use two kinds of peppers… jalapenos and spicy red chiles.

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Chile pepper tips:

  • For a moderate heat that’s not overwhelming, only use half of each pepper.
  • The spicy portions of the pepper lie in the pith and membranes, to moderate the heat further, remove the seeds and cut away the lighter colored membranes. Check out this Anatomy of a Chile Pepper to get the full scoop.
  • When mincing jalapenos and red chiles, I advise wearing rubber gloves because the capsaicin oils will invariably transfer to your hands… which will consequently come into contact with your face/eyes and you’ll double over swearing like a sailor. Note: it’s even worse if you wear contacts. Even after washing your hands multiple times, that fiery capsaicin lingers on your digits and when you take the contacts out at night — it’s gonna burn. Wear the gloves.
mincing jalapeno and chile peppers for the mango salsa.

Some folks LOVE raw red onion, others find the taste strong, even overpowering. If you’re in the latter camp, here’s an easy trick to tame  the effects.

Taming red onions

  • Slice/dice the onion as needed for your recipe and set it in a bowl of ice water for 10 minutes (2 -3 cubes and water is all you need). 
  • After 10 minutes, remove the ice cubes (if they haven’t already melted) and drain the water from the onions. Pat dry with a paper towel and use in your recipe.

This takes some of the fire and harsh allium bite out of the onions and will make it more palatable in this tropical pineapple mango salsa for those who just can’t get past a strong onion flavor.

grating and pressing the juice from a bulb of ginger to use in the spicy mango salsa.

Ginger juice is what separates this pineapple mango salsa from all the other fruity tropical salsas out there. It’s tingly, spicy and almost effervescent on the tongue. It only takes 1-2 teaspoons to boost the flavors in this dish, but it’s really impactful. Don’t skip it.

How to make ginger juice for spicy mango salsa

  1. Peel a one inch knob of ginger.
  2. Grate it on a microplane grater.
  3. Transfer the ginger pulp to a fine mesh sieve and rest the sieve over a small bowl.
  4. Use the back of a spoon to press on the ginger solids, releasing the juices.
solids left from pressing the ginger for juice.

You can see in the photo above how the ginger juice looks and how dry the pulp becomes when it’s been pressed. That’s how you know you’ve gotten all you can out of it. By the way, adding the spicy juice to pineapple mango salsa is just the beginning. You can use fresh ginger juice in cocktails, dressings and so much more. 

combining fresh herbs, lime zest and ginger juice with the pineapple mango salsa.

The last bit of zing to this tropical blend is fresh cilantro, lime zest and lie juice for an herbal, tangy exclamation point on the spicy salsa. Toss the salsa to combine and drizzle the ginger juice over the juicy, ripe fruit. Toss again and serve!

How long will pineapple mango salsa last?

It’s best the first day, but will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to two days. Mangoes tend to soften up once they’ve been chopped, so for the most vibrant flavor, I recommend making the salsa recipe the same day you want to serve it.

mixing tropical salsa with a wooden spoon.

Warning. You’re gonna want to put this on EVERYTHING!

What does spicy mango pineapple salsa go with?

There are NO LIMITS with this recipe.

a dish of mango salsa for use with fish, chicken, pork or other seafood.

More homemade salsas you might like:

More mango and pineapple recipes you might like: 

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A bowl of pineapple mango salsa with a white napkin beside it.
Print Pin
4.70 from 23 votes

Spicy Tropical Pineapple Mango Salsa

This sweet salsa has a bit of heat, too!  Great over chicken, pork or seafood.
Author: Lisa Lotts
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword jalapeno, mango, pineapple
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 mango peeled, cut into a ¼” dice
  • ½ cup pineapple cut into a ¼” dice
  • ½ red bell pepper cut into a ¼” dice
  • ¼ cup red onion finely diced
  • 1 jalapeño finely diced
  • 1 red chili pepper finely diced
  • 1 lime zested and juiced
  • 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves chopped
  • 1 1″ knob ginger peeled

DIRECTIONS:

  • In a medium bowl combine the diced, mango, pineapple, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño and chili pepper. Toss to combine.
  • Add the lime zest, lime juice and cilantro. Toss to combine.
  • Use a microplane grater to grate the ginger onto a cutting board. Carefully scoop the ginger pulp into a fine mesh sieve. Rest the sieve over a small bowl and press on the ginger pulp to press out the juices and capture it in the bowl. Discard the ginger solids. Add the juice to the salsa and toss to combine.
  • Taste for seasonings adding salt and freshly ground pepper if desired.
  • Serve with chicken, pork, fish or shellfish.

NOTES:

If you prefer less spice, discard the seeds from the jalapeno and red chile pepper.

NUTRITION:

Calories: 41kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 139mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 794IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

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23 Comments

  1. Georgia Duncan says:

    5 stars
    Oh! My! Goodness! I love Pineapple Mango Salsa, but this one is just Over-the-Top Amazing. The difference is the ginger juice. I used my stainless steel garlic press to squeeze the ginger and it worked like a charm in extracting maximum juice from the pulp. Hubby thought the salsa a tad to “warm” for his tastes, so I added a little honey, which made it just right for him. I will make this again … and have already set aside 2 small jars to give to some friends tomorrow. Thank you for such a delicious accompaniment!

  2. 5 stars
    Excellent! going to go great with my fresh grilled halibut 😉 Left out the red pepper. Don’t need it!

  3. 5 stars
    I have tried mango salad before, but have never had it with pineapple! This is perfect for this season, thanks for the recipe 🙂

  4. Patty at Spoonabilities says:

    5 stars
    What a yummy salsa, and especially because I just love mango! The jalapenos, red peppers, lime and ginger is such a great combo of flavors! Yummy!

  5. Sophie Goel says:

    5 stars
    Yum!! This looks so light and fresh!! Perfect for a grilled summer fajitas!

  6. 5 stars
    SO bright and tasty. Love it!

  7. 5 stars
    This was perfect for the baja fish tacos!

  8. Lauren A Durham says:

    5 stars
    Really, really delicious! I don’t like things too spicy but I love ginger so I omitted the jalapeno in favor of 1/2 a poblano and didn’t bother sieving the ginger. My hubby commented that the salsa was “spot on” and without the jalapeno, you can feel safe serving it to kids.

    1. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lauren! Ginger adds just the right zing, I think!

    1. Great question! No, this is a fresh salsa and needs to be used when you make it.

  9. Ricardo Navarro says:

    5 stars
    Awesome! The Best! I served with a sea bass filet , I grilled with teriyaki glaze and this was a great salsa and refreshing dish, thank you

  10. Nola martin says:

    This sounds amazing!!! Missing you & mango season…

    1. Missing you too! I’ve got mangoes coming out of my ears!

  11. I love the addition of ginger juice and frankly, I love hint of spicy, astringent flavour of ginger with fruits. Fantastic recipe indeed and perfect for summer.

  12. 5 stars
    This is my kind of salsa, and dare I say, salad. I am the kind of girl who prefer the non-oily dressing if possible in my salad, and this fits the bill perfectly. And yup, I’m also guilty of slurping mango pit over the sink, but I suspect we all do this right? Right?

    1. Thank you, Anita! I’m glad there’s another mango pit slurper out there!

    1. Absolutely! In fact, that’s what we’re doing tonight!

  13. 5 stars
    This is fantastic. So full of flavor, taste and nutrition. I love the combination of sweet and savory flavors. I want to try this soon.

  14. 5 stars
    Wow, what good looks, it’s so colorful and super tasty.