Grill-Charred Pineapple Salsa with Habanero & Lime

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thick planks of fresh pineapple get hard-charred until the sugars turn almost caramel, then hand-chopped with red onion, habanero, cilantro and a heavy squeeze of lime. The char is the whole point — it gives a raw-tasting fruit salsa the smoky backbone it needs to sit next to grilled fish, carnitas tacos, or just a bowl of thick tortilla chips. Salting the onion and draining the pineapple keeps it scoopable instead of soupy.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe pineapple (about 3 lb), peeled and cored
• 2 tsp neutral oil, such as avocado or canola
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 small red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 habanero chile, stemmed and seeded (or 1 jalapeño for a milder salsa)
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 3/4 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice, from about 1 1/2 limes
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1 tsp honey, only if the pineapple is underripe
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin, toasted

Instructions

1. Cut the peeled, cored pineapple lengthwise into planks about 3/4 inch thick — thick enough that they char on the outside before the centers turn to mush. Pat both sides very dry with paper towels; surface moisture steams instead of sears. Brush lightly with the neutral oil.
2. Heat a grill to high (about 500°F) or set a cast-iron grill pan or heavy skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes until a drop of water skitters. Lay the pineapple down in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, 4 to 6 minutes per side, until you have deep mahogany-to-black char marks over at least a third of each surface. Work in batches rather than crowding. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool 10 minutes.
3. While the pineapple cools, put the diced red onion in a small bowl, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and cover with cold water. Let stand 10 minutes, then drain well and pat dry. This pulls out the raw sulfur bite so the onion reads sweet and crunchy.
4. Mince the habanero as finely as you can — aim for pieces the size of coarse pepper so no one gets a scorching bite. Start with half the chile if you're unsure; you can always add the rest. Wash your hands and the board with soap afterward.
5. Chop the cooled pineapple into 1/4-inch pieces, keeping the charred edges in the mix. Tip the pineapple into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and let it drain 5 minutes; save the juice. Draining here is the difference between a salsa that mounds on a chip and one that floods the plate.
6. In a medium bowl, combine the drained pineapple, red onion, habanero, bell pepper, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, toasted cumin, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold gently with a rubber spatula — stirring hard breaks the fruit down.
7. Taste and adjust: more salt to sharpen it, a splash of the reserved pineapple juice if it needs to loosen, the honey only if the fruit was tart, more lime if it tastes flat. Let the salsa rest at room temperature 20 to 30 minutes before serving so the flavors marry, then taste one final time — the salt always needs a nudge after resting.

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Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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