Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa

Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa.

March 28, 2011

I have a slight basil obsession going on right now.

As you can imagine, it is quite an expensive obsession considering basil is not in season at the moment. But would you expect anything less from me? Plus, the mangos have been on sale for two weeks. Cheap mangos make up for expensive basil.

Initially, I was going to make a batch of kiwi mango salsa. But then I started thinking about the strawberries in my fridge and was reminded of how delicious the quick mango salsa that I chopped for the shrimp tacos was. We’ve only eaten those shrimp tacos six times in the last two weeks. No big deal.

The strawberries were calling my name. I couldn’t help it. They just smell so sweet!

I’m a bit enamored with strawberries too… in case you didn’t notice.

I love the strawberries and basil separately, but right now I can’t get over how delicious they are when combined. They were destined for salsa.

The fun part? You can serve this as a layered salsa or mix it up. I chose to mix mine up because I wanted to get a taste of everything with each bite. Which wasn’t hard at all since I ate most of it with a spoon.

I made a big batch with intentions to have it to snack on throughout the week. Pita chips obviously came to mind, but so did caramelized tilapia and mozzarella salads and even more shrimp tacos. Then we tasted the salsa. Not a smart move. Or maybe a really smart move? Either way, we have no leftovers. It was delicious. And now I’m sad. And broke. And I need more basil.

Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa

makes about 2 cups

3/4 cup chopped mango

3/4 cup chopped strawberries

1/4 cup chopped red onion

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients and mix, or simply later ingredients in a bowl. Tastes even better after it sits for a few hours! Salsa should stay fresh in the fridge (in a sealed container) for about one week.