Roasted pineapple tomatillo salsa is a delicious combination of sweet and spicy. Pair with chicken, fish or fresh baked blue tortilla chips.
Recipe | How to Cut a Pineapple | How to Select a Pineapple | You Can Make Blue Corn Tortillas?
Ingredients
The best part of making salsa from scratch is the delicious fresh ingredients. Pineapple tomatillo salsa is no different than other salsas in that regard.
When making this salsa, you’ll need these fresh ingredients. It’s possible that you may not have ever bought some of them and it’s fun to experiment with something new.
- Pineapple
- Tomatillos
- Jalapenos
- Onion
- Garlic
- Lime
When you make it fresh, you will at least know all your ingredients. No extra fillers or unusual preservatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomatillos look a lot like green tomatoes and, in a pinch, you could substitute green tomatoes. Tomatillos are more tart and citrus-y.
Tomatillos are tart but they’re not spicy. Any spicy heat in this salsa comes from the chiles/peppers used.
For this recipe, using canned pineapple can be done but will have a different look and taste. Be sure to get one canned in water instead of sugar.
How to Select a Pineapple
You can’t go by the color. A ripe pineapple will be firm with a little give when you squeeze it. If it’s rock hard, it’s not ripe.
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How to Ripen a Pineapple
Place the pineapple in a plastic or paper bag and leave at room temperature. It should ripen in a day or two. It will ripen even more quickly if you place a banana in the bag with it.
How to Cut a Pineapple
For this recipe, you won’t need any special cutting skills for the pineapple. It’s very straight forward.
- Cut off the top
- Flip it around to cut off the bottom
- Stand it upright and cut off the sides
When you cut down the sides, make sure you get all the little “eyes”. Then, make thick slices to go on the baking sheet.
Since this could be your first time with fresh pineapple, I found a step by step guide on How to Cut a Pineapple, if you’re curious.
You may be able to reuse the top of the pineapple to grow your own pineapple plant! Check out what the Empress of Dirt has to say about growing your own pineapple houseplant.
How Hot are Jalapenos?
On a scale, jalapenos are spicy but not super spicy. Removing the inner veins and seeds will make them even less spicy.
With only two jalapenos used in this pineapple tomatillo salsa recipe, it’s not very spicy at all. In fact, I think it would be fine for little kids too.
The next time I make it, I think I will add a serrano pepper too. It was that low on the spicy heat scale. I would prefer a bit more heat.
If you love chiles and you love experimenting, be sure to check out my Scoville Heat Scale. You will find a list of common peppers.
You may even want to try a red chile pepper. A little bit of red mixed in with the yellow and green of the pineapple and tomatillo would make a pretty salsa.
How Long Will This Salsa Keep in the Refrigerator?
Because of the added vinegar, this salsa will keep almost a week but it could lose some of its freshness in about 3 or 4 days.
You can also divide it into portions and store it in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
Can You Can Pineapple Salsa?
This salsa can be canned in a water bath to make it shelf stable for 12 to 18 months.
Unlike tomato salsa, I would suggest you boil pints for 40 minutes. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends more time for tomatillos than tomatoes.
When you’re boiling the salsa, you are actually cooking it more. This can cause the fruit and vegetables to break down even further so the consistency can be different from fresh.
You Can Make Blue Corn Tortillas?
Yes, you can make blue corn tortillas! Maseca brand has a corn flour made from blue corn. It’s not as popular as yellow and white corn, of course. But, it’s something new and fun to try.
I’m going to be honest here. I didn’t choose blue corn flour because of the health benefits. I chose it because I thought it would give a better color to go with the yellow of the pineapple in the salsa.
But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t acknowledge the health benefits.
Like other blue fruit and vegetables, blue corn contains a pigment called anthocyanin. Naturally blue foods are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Eat more blue food!
We had to special order this Maseca Azul blue corn flour. It’s not available in any of the stores around here. We ordered it from MexGrocer.
What If I Don’t Have a Tortilla Press?
We haven’t always had a tortilla press. I know that it works nicely. A tortilla press is fun and makes the tortillas more quickly.
Have a look at this Victoria 8″ Cast Iron Tortilla Press. It’s a nice weight. It’s seasoned but you should still use the plastic in between like I’ve shown here. You can use it for both corn and flour tortillas. (This is an affiliate link, by the way. If you click it and buy, I may get a little something something from them at no extra cost to you.)
If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can use a rolling pin to flatten the tortillas. I have also used Corelle plates.
Corelle plates are nice and flat on the bottom. If you turn two of them bottom to bottom, you can easily mimic a tortilla press.
No matter which method you use, use the pieces of plastic ziploc bags. This will make it easier for you to move the raw dough to the skillet.
Where Would You Serve This Salsa?
Have a look at our Mexican food recipes for a larger variety. Specifically, I think this salsa would be great with any of these recipes:
- Milanesa de Res Breaded Beef Steak
- Chile Lime Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Cream
- Chicken Tinga Tacos Dorados
Don’t forget the beverage! Try this Margarita Mocktail Recipe for something quick, easy and delicious.
Recipe
Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa with Blue Tortilla Chips
Tap to leave a star ratingFor more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.
Equipment
- Large baking sheet
- Food processor
- Tortilla press (only for chips)
- Air fryer (optional and only for chips)
- Skillet or comal
Ingredients
Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa
- Cooking Spray, like Pam
- 1 Pineapple, top, bottom and sides removed, then cut into 6 or 7 slices horizontally
- 1 pound Tomatillos, husks removed, cleaned to remove sticky residence and cut in half horizontally
- 1 Onion, large, top, bottom and peel removed, then cut into 4 slices horizontally.
- 2 Jalapenos, whole, cleaned
- 1 head Garlic, whole, unpeeled
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 Lime
- ½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Tortilla Chips
- 2 cups Masa Harina, blue corn flour
- 1 ¼ cups Water
- Cooking Spray, like Pam
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa
- Preheat oven to broil (usually about 550℉.
- Prepare pineapple, jalapenos, tomatillos and onion as directed. Spray baking sheet with cooking spray and place all the fruit and vegetables flat on the sheet. Set aside.
- While whole head of garlic is still in one piece, slice off the top to expose the tops of the cloves. Discard the top. Place the whole garlic head with top facing up on a piece of foil about 10". Carefully spoon over the olive oil on the top of the garlic and, if desired, sprinke on a little salt. Close up the foil around the head of garlic, carefully keep it upright.
- Place the baking sheet on the highest level of the oven, closest to the broiler. Place the wrapped head of garlic in the center of the oven.
- Cook for 15 minutes. Remove sheet from oven. Close the oven door, leaving the garlic inside to continue cooking.
- Remove the tomatillos to a food processor. Set aside.
- Turn over the remaining fruit and vegetables. Return the sheet to the oven. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes more. You should see a nice liitle char.
- Remove the baking sheet and foil wrapped garlic from the oven. Immediately place the jalapenos in a ziploc bag.
- Place the onion slices in the food processor.
- Cut chunks of pineapple away from the core. Discard the core. Place the pineapple chunks in the food processor.
- Remove the foil from the cooked garlic and squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peel. Place the garlic cloves in the food processor. Discard the peel.
- After the jalapenos have been in the bag for 10 or 15 minutes, remove them from the bag. Remove the charred outer skin, stem and seeds then discard. Place the remaining jalapeno in the food processor.
- Place the remaining salsa ingredients in the food processor and process to desired consistency. Serve chilled.
Tortilla Chips
- Place masa harina in a bowl. Pour water on top. Using hands, mix together until you form a soft dough. Due to several factors, including the age of the corn flour and the humidity in your home, you will probably need more water. Add one tablespoon of water at a time. I needed to add three tablespoons (probably because it's currently winter and we have central heating) to get the dough I needed. To test the dough, make a small ball about 1 ½ to 2" across and try to flatten in the palm of your hand. When you're able to flatten it without cracking, it's ready.
- Separate the dough into 16 equal pieces and form into a ball. To keep from drying out, cover with a damp towel while working with each individually.
- Cut a gallon size ziploc bag in half to make two pieces of plastic. Place each ball of dough between the plastic sheets and press with tortilla press until tortilla measures about 5" across.
- Heat comal or skillet on medium heat. Carefully remove each dough ball from plastic and place in hot skillet for 30 seconds, turn, 30 seconds more, turn and another 30 seconds. That's 1 ½ total minutes. Remove to covered tortilla keeper or covered casserole. The tortillas will continue cooking from their own heat in the covered container. Work with each tortilla, one at a time, keeping the remaining balls of dough under the damp towel.
- After cooking, place the entire stack on a cutting board and make two cuts down the center to make 4 triangles of each tortilla.
- Preheat air fryer for 5 minutes at 400℉. Place triangles in air fryer basket, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt. Cook for about 5-6 minutes at 400℉. If your basket gets too full, you may need to make two or three passes. Alternatively, bake in oven on a baking sheet in the same manner. Watch carefully because it can go from perfect to burnt very quickly. Right out of the fryer, the chips may be more chewy than crisp. As they cool, they get crispier.
Notes
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. All amounts are estimates and 24Bite® takes no responsibility for actual figures since calculations vary by packaging and supplier. Please calculate the amounts yourself based on package labeling if you have specific dietary requirements. 24Bite®, Kim Guzman or Christian Guzman shall not be liable for adverse reactions or any other outcome resulting from the use of recipes or recommendations on this website or actions you take as a result.
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Linda says
I’ve tried roasted tomatillo, but you sure know how to bring salsa to another level with roasted pineapple. This will be a hit in our family!
Jagruti says
I am planning on growing tomatillios this year in my garden can’t wait to try this with them.
Chef Dennis says
This Roasted Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa will be perfect for our meal tomorrow!
Marina says
Wow what a fantastic party recipe! Will definitely make it this weekend
Amanda Marie says
I love fruity salsas. This is fantstic, I love the mix of pineapple with a little kick.
Beth says
This looks amazing and so delicious! My family and I are going to love this recipe! So excited to give this a try!
Sara Welch says
Enjoyed this with some chips for an afternoon snack and it does not disappoint! So bold and flavorful; easily, a new favorite salsa!
Biana says
Pineapple and tomatillos sounds like such a delicious combination! Will be making this recipe very soon.
Jessie says
I can not wait to give this one a try! I love pineapple salsa and going to try my hand at making the chips.
Veena Azmanov says
I absolutely love tomatillos and the addition of roasted pineapples is such a wonderful idea. I can’t wait to try this recipe. This would be perfect over a good BBQ in summer here.
Alexandra says
Love the flavour of this!