You really never realize how little self control you have until you’re given free chips and salsa at a restaurant. Ive become comfortable enough with my boyfriend (and favorite person to eat out with) that I just stuff my face every single time. We have a favorite Mexican restaurant called Cactus Blue and they have the best house salsa hands down. Bread and dipping oil is always nice at a fancy restaurant but it doesn’t beat crispy tortilla chips that fall apart with every bite and a crisp salsa.

I’ve made so much salsa in my life that it got a tad bit boring. At first, I was totally turned off by fruit in my salsa. I didn’t think it was necessary so I never included it. Then one day, I had the most delicious pineapple salsa on fish tacos at a restaurant in the city and fell in love. Naturally, I went home and tried to make it. I bought a beautiful ripe pineapple, cilantro, fresh plum tomatoes and red onions and the rest is history. I always have people over and if I’m not cooking a feast, I always like to have table snacks. I almost always make a regular salsa with tomatoes onions and cilantro because my best friend requests it every time, but this is a nice switch up.

One thing every salsa must have (in my opinion), is fresh lemon juice. Not the store bought kind, but raw juice from a real lemon. The flavor just can’t be beat. And let’s face it, lemons are so inexpensive so it’s always worth it. The acidity just ties everything together and the flavors marry perfectly. I’ve had this salsa in fish tacos , but since I’ve started making it myself, I throw it on just about everything. Nothing is safe. Omelettes, shrimp, pita chips. Even white rice gets doused in this tangy salsa. It brings life and color to everything you pair it with so don’t be afraid to get creative!

Not only is it simple to make, it stores forever. Well not literally, but you know what I mean. Fridge life for this salsa is amazing. The lemon juice really preserves things and keeps it fresh so you’re looking at 4-6 days of fresh salsa. Another tip is to have your ingredients room temperature before chopping. When they are cold, they are stiff and less flavorful so a little time on the counter will get the juices flowing. *Also! You always get pineapples from the store upright. That means all the juices are sitting on the bottom of the pineapple. Leave the pineapple upside down for an hour before cutting and you’ll be amazed how juicy it is!

• 1 large pineapple, finely diced
• 1 large red onion finely diced
• 2 jalapeños, seeded & diced
• 8 plum tomatoes diced
• 2/3 cup of chopped cilantro
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp each salt + pepper

Believe it or not, there’s ONE step. One step before enjoying.

1. Mix all of your ingredients in a large bowl, refrigerate for at least 20 mins before serving for the best flavor.