Fruity Corn Salsa

A super fresh, bright and cherry little salsa to pair with tacos, fish, chicken and even carne asada. Super easy to make, but very cheffy. Fruit choices included.

I love making little salsas and relishes like this because you can use what you have in your fridge and pantry and they’ll last a couple days. They really add a freshness to tacos, meat and fish dishes and add a cheffy touch to keep you satisfied or impress your friends. This Fruity Corn Salsa is a nice way to sneak in some extra fruit in your diet, and it introduces a nice sweetness to counteract the heat from the jalapeno and bite from the red onion.

Lunch idea: I like to use this in a salads (or as the base of a protein bowl) for lunch the next day. You can even make it into its own, full, balanced salad by adding some protein in the form of black beans and some diced avocdado for healthy fat!

Fruit subs: I had mango at the time I made this, you could do a peach or even diced pineapple. You can even use canned fruit if that’s what you have or something your kids like (shhh…I won’t tell). I usually broil jalapenoes and chiles for salsas for that charred effect, but for fresh salsas like this, I like the raw jalaepno for a nice, crisp greenness and satisfying crunch.

Kid-Friendly Side: My kids love sweet corn with butter as a little side for our Taco Tuesday nights so if I’m using canned corn for this salsa, I’ll drain and rinse the whole can and then pour 1/3 or half of the corn into a microwave-safe glass bowl or Pyrex jar, add a big pat of grass-fed butter (my favorite is Kerrygold) and microwave that for 90 seconds for the kids. The rest I’ll use for the salsa. When using canned products, I always drain and rinse everything in a colander thoroughly because I’m not always sure what’s in the “sauce” in there.

Chef’s Tip: Did you know you can also microwave corn on the cob to cook it? Of course corn is better when grilled for that smoky flavor, and the other option is to simmer it water on the stovetop for 20 to 30 minutes. But, if I’m dealing with other things and don’t feel like dragging my enormous stock pot out for the corn or babysitting it on the stove, I’ll just cut the cobs in half, put them in a big glass mixing bowl, add enough water to almost cover, cover with a microwave-safe lid and microwave on high for about 20 minutes. I know that seems insane, but it’s fine, you’re basically steaming the corn and the water protects the cobs from getting all wrinkly. Drain, rinse under cold water for like a minute to stop the cooking and cool things down. Transfer the corn to your chopping board and when cool enough to handle, here’s my video for how to slice it off the cob so you don’t slice your finger off or make a mess on your board.

Frozen corn: You can also use frozen corn, just zap it in the microwave for like a couple minutes with a little water added to warm up and cook through a little. Drain, rinse under cold water and use for this salsa.