Cherry Salsa
This colorful fresh Cherry Salsa is bursting with cherry flavor and a little kick from jalapeño pepper.
Servings: 5
Calories: 122kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pint fresh cherries (285 grams)
- ½ green bell pepper
- ½ small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- I lime
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons chopped basil plus more to garnish
Instructions
- Rinse cherries and pat dry.
- Pit them using a cherry pitter or a sharp knife.
- Cut each cherry in half, then slice 3 times one direction and 2 or 3 the other, so you have about 6-9 small pieces.
- Chop bell pepper into similarly-sized pieces.
- Finely chop onion—you should have about ¼ cup chopped red onion.
- Peel and mince garlic cloves.
- Cut off top of jalapeño pepper, then slice in half and cut out the seeds and membrane.
- Finely chop the remaining pepper.
- Combine all chopped ingredients in a large bowl.
- Zest the lime over the bowl, then slice the lime in half and squeeze both halves over the bowl.
- Gently stir in olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped basil.
- Pour into a serving bowl, and garnish with chopped basil.
- Wait an hour or so before serving if possible, to allow flavors to meld.
Notes
Make-Ahead Tips:
Cherry salsa is best within a few hours of making, but you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Over time, the lime juice in the salsa will begin to break down the cherries and peppers so they are softer and not as crisp. Also, the colors will begin to blend all together, so this cherry salsa is definitely prettiest the day you make it! Expert Tips:
If all the chopping in this recipe is too much for you, you can also throw the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse gently until everything is finely chopped. You will find that the mixture becomes more uniformly purple from the cherry juice, but it’s still delicious! If you are not using a food processor, take care to stir the ingredients gently together in your mixing bowl. That will help the different colors of the peppers, cherries, basil, and onion stay vibrant. For extra heat, add an additional jalapeño pepper or don’t remove the seeds before chopping.
Cherry salsa is best within a few hours of making, but you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Over time, the lime juice in the salsa will begin to break down the cherries and peppers so they are softer and not as crisp. Also, the colors will begin to blend all together, so this cherry salsa is definitely prettiest the day you make it! Expert Tips:
If all the chopping in this recipe is too much for you, you can also throw the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse gently until everything is finely chopped. You will find that the mixture becomes more uniformly purple from the cherry juice, but it’s still delicious! If you are not using a food processor, take care to stir the ingredients gently together in your mixing bowl. That will help the different colors of the peppers, cherries, basil, and onion stay vibrant. For extra heat, add an additional jalapeño pepper or don’t remove the seeds before chopping.
Nutrition
Calories: 122kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 159mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g
