Easy Mango-Habanero Salsa

For the perfect sweet and spicy combination, you have to try this easy mango-habanero salsa! Made with juicy mango, fresh ginger, spicy habanero and bright lime juice, this is the ultimate fruit salsa, and it comes together in less than 20 minutes. You’ll want to snack on this fruity salsa all summer long.

Jump to:

• Why You Need to Make This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Step-by-Step Instructions
• How to Serve
• Recipe FAQs
• Expert Tips
• Perfect Pairing
• Need More Salsa Recipes?
• Mango-Habanero Salsa

Why You Need to Make This Recipe

Warm nights call for leisurely meals on the patio, and I can't think of a better way to spend the evening than enjoying this salsa with a refreshing margarita on the side. You'll love this mango-habanero salsa.

• Summer in a bowl. Every bite is full of fresh, tropical flavor. You’ll think you’re on the beach enjoying a big bowl of salsa.
• No cooking required. All we do is chop and blend.
• Ridiculously quick and easy. Make entertaining a breeze with this salsa that requires no advanced skills or hours upon hours to prepare.
• Ultra versatile. Serve it as a dip or use it to top your favorite Mexican dishes.

Ingredients

If you've made salsa, these ingredients should all be familiar, but my secret ingredient for an extra delicious fruit salsa is fresh ginger. Like in my tropical pico de gallo, fresh ginger gives a fruit salsa a wonderful spice character with a slightly peppery and sweet touch.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Let’s walk through how truly simple it is to make your own mango-habanero salsa recipe.

Step 1: We begin by adding the mango chunks to a food processor (photo 1) and pulse it until it reaches our desired consistency (photo 2). I don't like soupy salsa, so I just pulse it until it reaches a nice and chunky texture, but you do you. This is our mango-habanero salsa base.

Step 2: Now we move the processed mango to a large mixing bowl and add in our habanero, fresh ginger, lime juice, cilantro and a touch of salt (photo 3).

Step 3: We simply stir until it's all combined (photo 4).

And that's it! See? Making a homemade fruit salsa doesn't get easier. Now grab some chips and a drink -- say my mango mojito or jalapeño-mango margarita -- and enjoy the evening.

How to Serve

If you're simply serving this fresh mango salsa as an appetizer, tortilla chips are great, but you can get extra fancy and sprinkle your chips with a little chili powder and lime juice. Cinnamon-sprinkled chips are also popular with fruit salsa, and the cinnamon pairs beautifully with the ginger and habanero.

But that's not all. This mango salsa is also delicious on top of all sorts of Mexican dishes, especially lighter fare like chicken, pork and seafood. Think fish or lobster tacos, chicken enchiladas, grilled shrimp fajitas or jerk pork nachos.

Recipe FAQs

Expert Tips

• While heat is subjective, I consider this a mild to medium salsa, depending on the heat of the habanero you use. For a spicier salsa, you can add another habanero pepper.
• To grate the ginger, I recommend first peeling it and then freezing it. Frozen ginger grates like a dream with a microplane grater. I love to always keep ginger in my freezer, so I have it on hand, but it doesn't take long to freeze if you don't have any in stock.
• I recommend you wear kitchen gloves while handling the habanero. If you don’t, wash your hands well, and give it time before you touch your eyes. The chile oil can stay on your fingers for a good while.
• To get the most out of your lime, I recommend firmly rolling it on the countertop first. This helps get the juice moving.
• Don't have a food processor? You can dice the mango into ½-inch chunks instead and mix with the rest of the ingredients. This will technically be a mango pico de gallo, but you can use it just as you would a salsa.

Perfect Pairing

I love a refreshing blonde ale with this fresh mango salsa. Not only do blonde ales make wonderful palate cleansers to balance the spice, this light, bubbly beer is a classic pairing with fruit. However, if you'd like to accentuate the spice, you can pair this salsa with a hoppy IPA.

Looking for a wine pairing option? A gewürztraminer is perfect. This German wine comes with a residual sweetness that counters the spice. We also get some tropical fruit notes that are delightful with our mango and fresh ginger.

And, of course, we’re talking salsa here, so a tequila cocktail isn’t a bad idea. Try my tequila sour or triple citrus tequila smash. Or if you’re a margarita lover, you’ll enjoy my Cadillac margarita, raspberry-peach margarita, blueberry margarita or fresh blackberry margarita.

When you need a fruity, tropical salsa, I hope you try this easy mango-habanero salsa. Just make sure you get plenty of chips because you won't be able to stop dipping!

Cheers!

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