Sweet Heat

[Whampoa]

Here in the south it is poor seamanship not to have a good salsa to compliment meals while cruising.

I would love to hear about your recipes for salsas that you make while cruising. Tell us how you serve them as well.

To start things off, here's my favorite:

3 - 4 Medium Sweet Onions
3 - 4 Medium Ripe Tomatoes
3-12 Fresh Jalapeños (To suit your heat tolerance!)
3-12 Fresh Habeneros (Start easy with these but work up the number you use) Optional but you should be bold ! Wear rubber gloves when handling these peppers and DO NOT PUT YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR EYES....You were warned

1 15 oz can of crushed pineapple

1 4-6 oz bag of dried apricots
1 4-6 oz bag of dried/candied mangos
1 4-6 oz bag of dried/candied pineapple
1 4-6 oz bag of dried/candied tropical fruits
2 lemons or limes
Ground Clove
Ground Cinnamon

Dice onions and tomatoes to medium size
Decide how many peppers you plan to use, remove the seeds and finely chop the peppers
Chop all of the fruits to a fine mix and add to the Onions, tomatoes and peppers in a mixing bowl
Add the canned pineapple including the juice
Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon and clove onto the mix (to taste but not too much)
Squeeze the juice of the lemons or limes into the bowl and then gently mix the ingredients together

Cover and put in the refrigerator or ice box to blend flavors for several hours, overnight if you can wait! If you decide to eat right away the peppers will be much hotter....

The juices from the pineapple and lemons or limes will rehydrate the fruit bits, the acids in the juice will moderate the heat from the peppers somewhat and mix will become a great combination of hot and sweet flavors.


This is great served on chips but also goes well when added to your salad bowl and especially on grilled fish or steak. It keeps well and the flavors continue to develop until it's gone.....

Thanks in advance for sharing your favorites.

Regards, John

[Stillraining]

Not much of a candied fruit guy but I just might have to try this...Thanks

[sailingdog]

BTW, you should generally wash your hands before touching any parts of your body after handling habenero or other hot peppers... One of my best friends' husband ended up in the emergency room after making a salsa with habaneros and then going to the bathroom without washing his hands before going... we laugh about it now...but it kind of put a crimp in the day at the time.

If you're sensitive to hot foods, then you should probably wear gloves when handling habaneros. You've been warned... BTW, in terms of full disclosure, I'm a chilihead... Got bottles of stuff like Blair's After Death Sauce in my fridge.

[imagine2frolic]

I too had a friend who didn't wash his hands. He suffered a bit, and howled like a wolf for the moon!!!!!!!!!!!

[SVCarolena]

I spent a year on the Texas/Mexico border and really grew to enjoy a very basic salsa:

Diced fresh tomato (be sure to include the juice)
Diced onion (my preference being Vidalia)
Diced fresh pepper (my choice is a mix of poblano and jalapeño - I stay away from the habaneros)
Chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Splash of lime juice (optional)
Splash of tobacco (usually the green or chipotle)

Amount of each ingredient is usually based on taste and what I have on hand.

My other favorite is roasted salsa. We would sometimes make it over mesquite coals at my friend’s ranch. Ingredients are basically the same, but we would roast the peppers, tomatoes and onion over the fire before chopping up or putting in a blender for the salsa.

And don't forget the guacamole! Just mix/crush the avocado with some onion, tomato, lime juice and salt to taste.

[tomaz_423]

Washing your hands helps only partially.
The hot substance does not dissolve in water. It dissolves much better in oil.
So, to remove it this helps:
1. Wash your hands normally (to remove some)
2) Oil your hands (either with edible oil or with a hand cream and rub well
3) Wash again to remove the rest of hot stuff and oil from your hands.
4) repeat if needed.
If you use liquid soup with added oils it can be of some benefit.

[Stillraining]

And you want me to eat this stuff....no thanks

[chucklesR]

My favorite 'food' is buffalo wings, but if it burns my hands it doesn't go in my mouth, period.

[sailingdog]

But guys, the stuff that makes it spicy is good for you and helps the cardiac system...provided it doesn't kill you first. Of course, some of you didn't grow up eating things like my grandma's kimchi.

Originally Posted by chucklesR

My favorite 'food' is buffalo wings, but if it burns my hands it doesn't go in my mouth, period.

Originally Posted by Stillraining

And you want me to eat this stuff....no thanks

[TrueBlue]

Originally Posted by SVCarolena

I spent a year on the Texas/Mexico border and really grew to enjoy a very basic salsa:

Diced fresh tomato (be sure to include the juice)
Diced onion (my preference being Vidalia)
Diced fresh pepper (my choice is a mix of poblano and jalapeño - I stay away from the habaneros)
Chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Splash of lime juice (optional)
Splash of tobacco (usually the green or chipotle)

Amount of each ingredient is usually based on taste and what I have on hand.

My other favorite is roasted salsa. We would sometimes make it over mesquite coals at my friend’s ranch. Ingredients are basically the same, but we would roast the peppers, tomatoes and onion over the fire before chopping up or putting in a blender for the salsa.

And don't forget the guacamole! Just mix/crush the avocado with some onion, tomato, lime juice and salt to taste.

Aside from using Cholula hot sauce (from Mexico), that's exactly how I've made my salsa for years - spent quite a few winters in Mexico and became very intimate with local salsas. I don't think they even know what "candied fruit" is. Reminds me of my aunt's holiday fruit cake (Yucko!).

I thought I was the only one who adds minced veggies, grilled over mesquite smoked coals.