Mango Habanero Salsa

5 from 3 votes

This sweet and spicy mango habanero salsa is made with fire-roasted tomatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic mixed with mango, citrus juice, and fresh herbs. It's a delicious summer snack!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Recommended Chill Time:1

Total Time1 20

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: people (¼ cup servings)

Calories: 40kcal

Author: Sarah Trenalone

Ingredients

2 cups mango, diced (~½" cubes), fresh or frozen
1 pound Roma tomatoes, cored + halved See Recipe Notes
1 red onion, peeled + sliced into 6 to 8 wedges
1 poblano pepper, stem + seeds removed, cut in half lengthwise For less heat, use a sweet bell pepper instead
1 habanero pepper, whole (stem removed) For more heat, use 2-3 peppers
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled Use more or less as desired
2 tablespoons avocado oil Or use another high-smoke point oil, such as canola
1 lime or lemon, juiced
¼ cup cilantro, removed from stem + roughly chopped Or swap fresh oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
½ teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)

Instructions

If using frozen mango, remove it from the freezer now to begin thawing.
Move an oven tray about 3 to 4 inches from the broiler. Preheat the broiler to high.
Place tomatoes, onions, and poblano pepper cut-side down in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the habanero pepper and garlic on the baking sheet.
Drizzle oil over the veggies.
Before broiling, create a well-ventilated space for the habanero fumes to exit the kitchen quickly. Turn on the oven hood vent and possibly open a window.
Broil vegetables 5-10 minutes, or until they begin to blacken and char. (The broil time will vary depending on your oven's broiler. Gas broilers tend to cook more quickly.)
Check on the vegetables often while broiling. If some vegetables seem to be cooking much faster than others, use metal tongs to either remove them from the baking sheet or move them farther from the heat source.
When the vegetables are charred, remove them from the oven.
Carefully remove as much of the skin from the poblano pepper as possible. (If you used a bell pepper instead, there's no need to peel it.)
Peel the garlic. (The skin should slide off easily.)
Leave the skins on the tomatoes.
Optional, for a milder salsa: Cut the habanero in half and remove the seeds and membrane. Wear gloves when handling the habanero pepper.
Add the mango and charred vegetables (and their juices) to a food processor basin, and use the chop setting until the vegetables are finely chopped and mixed together.
If your food processor basin is too small, it's fine to work in batches and transfer the salsa to a large bowl as you work.
If you don't own a food processor, finely dice the vegetables with a knife, and add them to a bowl. (Wear gloves when handling the habanero pepper.)
If you're concerned about the heat level, add about half the peppers first, taste the salsa, and add the remaining peppers if desired.
Move the salsa to a bowl, and stir in the lime juice, cilantro, cumin, and salt. Taste the salsa, and add more salt if desired.
The flavor should be tasty right away, but will greatly benefit from resting for 24 hours in the fridge. Serve as desired.

Notes

Yields: Approximately 4 cups salsa.

Varieties of tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are preferred for this recipe, because they release less water than other varieties. This recipe also works well with a small percentage of non-Roma tomatoes mixed in. Note that non-Roma tomatoes add extra liquid to the recipe, and a primarily non-Roma salsa will likely be very thin and watery.

For Milder Salsa: If you are very sensitive to heat, follow the directions in the recipe card to make this salsa mild.

For Hotter Salsa: If you'd like to make the salsa hotter, add more habanero peppers.

Hot Pepper Safety: If handling habaneros (to remove seeds or to dice by hand), wear gloves to avoid burning your skin. Take more than usual care when broiling hot peppers, and make sure to use a well-ventilated space. Turn on your oven's vent, open a window, and (if desired) wear a mask.

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