Top your proteins with this Spicy Pineapple Salsa or dip your fried green plantains to give them an extra kick of flavor!

A spoonful of spicy pineapple salsa.

When I’m in a hurry to get something – anything – in my belly, I grab some cooked protein (e.g. Slow Cooker Kalua Pig) and top it with a potent flavor booster, like spicy pineapple salsa. This sweet, crunchy, spicy, sour, and juicy condiment elevates everything you spoon it on. Plus, it keeps for a few days in the fridge. Emergency flavor booster + emergency protein = happy mommy.

Time to make Spicy Pineapple Salsa!

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1½ cups (340 grams) diced pineapple
1 Persian cucumber, peeled, diced and seeds removed
1 jalapeño pepper, diced (remove ribs and seeds if you can’t stand the heat)
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Combine everything in a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

That’s it.

What? You want to see the step-by-step photos and play-by-play color commentary? Then keep reading after the jump…

You can start with a fresh pineapple…

…but I don’t have time or the patience to carve out the “eyes” and chop it up.

If you wanna do it, feel free to knock yourself out.

Since I’m lazy, I normally pick up a package of cubed pineapple at Trader Joe’s or my neighborhood grocery store.

You still have some chopping to do, but it’s much less work.

Next, grab a Persian cucumber – a mini seedless cucumbers that you can find at most grocery stores. You can substitute half an English cucumber or a regular cucumber because you’re peeling it and removing the middle.

Even though Persian cukes are seedless, I scoop out the soft center before dicing it, so the salsa doesn’t get too water-logged.

To spice up the salsa, I add a diced jalapeño pepper. You can vary the heat by removing the seeds and ribs (mild) or replacing it with a habanero pepper (sweat-producing spicy).

If you’re making a kid-friendly salsa, whack off the stem…

…and cut around the seeds and ribs….

…before dicing it up.

Grab a red onion and dice up a quarter of it.

If you add too much, the onion flavor will be overwhelming. Your breath will make your spouse and kids cry, which is fun for only a few minutes.

Lastly, chop up the cilantro…

…and mix everything together in a medium sized bowl.

Always season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pretty easy, huh?

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).