This fresh Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa recipe is a great mix of sweet and tangy flavors. It’s perfect for tacos, grilled meats or as a dip for tortilla chips.
Ingredients
The best part of making salsa from scratch is the delicious fresh ingredients. It’s made with simple ingredients and packed with a flavor that adds a tropical twist to any meal.
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.
I like to add just a touch of red for color. I added a spoon of Sun Dried Tomato Chipotle from Bella Sun Luci. If you can’t find this brand, you could use a spoon of chipotles in adobo or dried chiles de arbol for extra spice. For the chiles, toast them a bit in the skillet then rehydrate them in hot water before adding to the food processor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tomatillos look a lot like green tomatoes and, in a pinch, you could substitute green tomatoes. Tomatillos are more tart and citrusy.
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
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 Your 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 wedges to go in the skillet.
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.
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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.
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 in the canner, 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.
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
- Easy Pulled Chicken Tamales
- Chile Lime Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Cream
- Chicken Tinga Tacos Dorados
Don’t forget the chips! You can make your own blue corn tortilla chips from scratch with this recipe.
Recipe
Pineapple Tomatillo Salsa Sweet, Tangy for Tacos and Chips
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For more information, be sure to check the recipe details in the attached 24Bite® post.
Equipment
- Large skillet preferably an iron skillet
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 Pineapple, top, bottom and sides removed, then cut into 6 or 7 wedges vertically
- 1 pound Tomatillos, husks removed and cleaned to remove sticky residence
- 1 Onion, large, peel removed, then cut into 4 wedges
- 2 Jalapenos, whole, cleaned
- 1 head Garlic, peeled and separated
- 2 Limes, juice only
- 1 tablespoon Sun-dried Tomatoes and Chipotle, or chipotles in adobo
- 1 teaspoon Salt, optional
- Cilantro, fresh, optional, about a handful
Instructions
- Prepare pineapple, jalapenos, tomatillos and onion as directed.
- Heat a large skillet on medium high heat then add tomatillos, onion, jalapenos and garlic to the dry skillet. Cook until charred on most sides. It's not necessary to make the entire vegetable charred, just some bits of it. Remove the pieces that cook quicker (like the garlic) and continue cooking the remainder until done, but don't allow the tomatillos to get too soft since they will burst.
- Once all the vegetables are removed, add the pineapple and cook it a bit as well. Remove and allow to cool slightly. Cut off the stems and remove the seeds of the jalapenos.
- Once cooled slightly, place all the vegetables and fruit in the food processor. Squeeze lime to get all the juice into the food processor. Place the sun-dried tomatoes in the food processor.
- Sprinkle a little bit of salt, if desired, into the food processor. Add a small handful of cilantro, if you like. Process to desired consistency. Serve chilled.
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Important: Whenever possible, use a scale for measuring dry ingredients, like flour. This is the more accurate measurement. The scoop and level method of measuring is not accurate because you don’t know how packed your flour has become. If you don’t have a scale, stir the flour lightly then use the spoon and fill method instead. If you use too much flour, your recipe will be too dry and crumbly.
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!