COOK OUT LOUD: Salsa: Grilled Mango, Limes and More

This is the Best Salsa you will ever eat (our homemade chips are amazing too; stay tuned as the chips recipe is coming soon)! This has mild to medium heat. If you like more heat, double or triple the pepper quantities in this recipe. Cook Out Loud and have Fun!

You'll Need: 8 fresh Roma or vine tomatoes (halved, about 2 cups worth), 1/2 of a fresh Anaheim Pepper (halved lengthwise, seeds removed*), 1/2 of a fresh Serrano Pepper (winter variety if you can find it, halved lengthwise, seeds removed), 1/2 a medium white onion (tough outer skin removed), 1 large clove of garlic (outer skin removed), 1/2 a large fresh mango (skin removed), 1 large lime (zest and juice, note always zest before juicing), 1 large handful fresh cilantro (about 1 cup), 1/4 tsp salt, pinch of ground white pepper

How to Prepare: Be safe and have an adult's help if you are new to the kitchen. Preheat your grill to medium heat. Using a zester, zest the lime (green parts only, not the bitter pith). Transfer zest to a bowl. Now cut the lime in half. It will go on grill too. Using an outdoor grill or an indoor kitchen grill, on medium heat, place the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, mango and lime halves on the grill until you start to smell the amazing flavors and see nice browning (about 5 minutes). Then flip all the food on grill for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool for about 5 minutes. Using a juicing reamer, juice the grilled lime halves. Place the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, salt, white pepper, and all the grilled fruits and veggies into a food processor or blender (either way be careful with the sharp blade). Pulse the food until it is the desired texture. Taste the salsa to see if you need to add anymore salt or pepper and adjust accordingly. Some people like chunky salsa, others like it really pureed. You choose. Remove the blade carefully and transfer the salsa to a bowl. Enjoy!

Peppers have different scores on the Scoville Heat Scale.

* Note #1: You can easily remove seeds from peppers and chiles by cutting them in half lengthwise and then taking a melon baller and starting at the stem end, scrape the seeds away from you in a firm motion and voila! This is great because you avoid handling the hot hot seeds, which can stay on your hands for awhile, even after washing. You can also wear disposable kitchen gloves.

Note #2: If you don't live in an area where fresh cilantro is available all year, you can use dried cilantro. When you are using dried herbs vs fresh herbs, it is a 3:1 ratio. For instance 1 cup of fresh cilantro would equate to the potency of 1/3 cup of dried cilantro.

Note #3: Store this in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to a week (I doubt it will last that long). You can use this salsa for chips. You can also use it to braise food in, for so much additional flavor. For instance, you can sear your chicken up and then place this entire recipe of salsa in the bottom of a pan. In a single layer, place your seared and seasoned chicken on top of the salsa and return to heat. It will slow braise in the salsa and taste amazing!

Note #4: The Serrano Pepper is typically 20,000 to 30,000 on the Scoville heat scale. A jalapeño is typically 4,000 to 10,000 on the Scoville heat scale. A Poblano pepper is anywhere from 1500 to 4000 on the Scoville scale. Why are we using the hottest pepper you wonder? Because we have local produce near us all year and we are blessed to be able to buy fresh "winter" Serrano peppers which due to the cold at night, creates a much more mild and delicious Serrano pepper. If this were a summer Serrano, I would probably use jalapeños instead. Keep that in mind!