Tuesday 8 June 2010

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

I've been big into my salads at barbeques recently. This red onion and pomegranate salad is now a regular feature, and after having made this salsa, I imagine it will be too. Gone are the days of sweaty supermarket coleslaw, mayonnaise-laden claggy potato salads and a bowl of wilted lettuce to slap in your burger bun as a token gesture. No no, it's all about fresh, colourful and vibrant sides to garnish your plate.

Fresh pineapple has always been a favourite of mine. Dressed with mint, it makes a refreshing summer snack and dipped in salt and chilli, a moreish treat. Nicaraguan pineapples, their flesh snowy white, were intensely sweet and blended with water to make a thick juice, were a perfect way to start the day. Barbequing the pineapple makes them sweeter, the heat caramelising the sugars inside the meat. Chopped roughly into Asian flavourings, it made a great accompaniment to grilled mackerel, the sweet and tart flavours contrasting with the rich, oily fish. This one I made was rather fiery which suited us fine, but do test your chillis before you lob them in. Of course, you don't have to lug the barbeque out; a griddle pan will also do the trick.

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Makes a huge bowl that satisfied 10

2 pineapples
4 red chillis (or more, or less, to taste)
A large bunch of coriander
4 spring onions
1 lime
Fish sauce, to taste

Cut the sides off the pineapple and slice into large pieces through the width. Place the slices on the hot barbeque and grill for 6 - 7 minutes each side so that they are well scorched. When cooled, slice around the hard core and chop into chunks. Add to a large bowl with the chillies, chopped finely. Slice the spring onions on the diagonal and throw them in, along with the bunch of coriander, chopped roughly. Dress with the juice of the lime, and add glugs of fish sauce, tasting after each one, so that you get a nice sweet, salty and sour balance.

12 comments:

Kavey said...

This looks lovely. I like mango in this kind of sweet, savoury salsa/ salad so not sure why never thought to try pineapple. Cunning!

Hope you have lovely HK trip!

Ino said...

Now you're just teasing us- would love to make this, but what's going on with the weather?! Glorious English summer. Anyway, this will be top of my list when the sun comes back out!

Becci said...

Wowzers... now that's a salsa. It's all about the accompaniments at a bbq, and this one looks the shiznit.

Helen said...

I make a salsa that is almost, if not exactly the same. I've blogged it somewhere in the archives although I''m not sure whether i used fish sauce or not. Either way, I usually serve it with grilled mackerel too, works a treat.

Hollow Legs said...

Kavey - Mango would alos work really well, I imagine. Thanks!

Ino - you might be in for a wait, unfortunately... bloody British 'summer'.

Becci - Definitely, this is a good one for the bbq.

Helen - SAME PERSON!

catty said...

Yes! I remember Helen G making a similar thing and I tried it too - pineapple salsa is really great and super refreshing :)

Jonathan said...

Looks delicious. Love the look of the charred little bits of sweeeeeeeeet pineapple. Just wish the sun would come out. And eating pineapple in somewhere as cold as Sweden would be such a treat.

Unknown said...

Really inspiring! I found your blog through Cheesenbiscuits.

Thanks

Seth

Unknown said...

Loving the BBQ posts - as a non BBQ owner you are making me very jealous

The Grubworm said...

You;r so right, this would make a perfect accompaniment to mackerel *slaps forehead* now why didn't I think of that ;-) Like all common sense things, it seems so obvious now.

The recipe looks very tasty indeed, and will accompany me to my next BBQ.

Hengki B.P. said...

Rasanya pasti enak, antara pedas, asam, dan manis. Namanya pakai Salsa, ini pasti masakan dari Meksiko. Kamu masaknya juga sambil dansa salsa.

tobias cooks! said...

This is perfect for the hot season. Great idea!