Ah, the rustling of the leaves, the cool breeze in the air, the changing of the trees (the color, that is, not the actual tree)!  My absolute favorite time of year!  So you ask–why the pineapple salsa?  Isn’t that more of a summer thing?  Yes….and no.  Story to follow…

My best friend, Colleen, whom I’ve known for the past….well, let’s say all my life…decided she wanted to throw another dinner party!  So a theme was decided as well–The Goonies!  She shmoozes her friend Joann and I (yeah, really twisted our arms, let me tell ya!) to cook dinner.  AND WE HAD A BLAST!  We decided to do a fall/pirate theme.  All the food was based on pirates and/or the Caribbean (because…pirates are there…right?)  So we had Caribbean Jerk Chicken…

…and festive tables…

Weren’t the little pirate cauldrons adorable with the Baby Ruth!  (If you don’t get it, rent The Goonies now!!)  Doesn’t Colleen create the most wonderfully creative tablescapes?

So in keeping with our self-appointed theme, we made grilled pineapple salsa for our appetizer.  Which is also our recipe for today.  It has an amazing sweet and yet zingy (yes, I’ve decided it’s a word) flavor!  Enjoy!

Grilled Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 medium-size ripe pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into half-inch-wide strips

• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into quarter-inch dice

• 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into quarter-inch dice

• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (2 jalapenos if you like your salsa with more heat)

• 1/4-1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (reserve some sprigs for garnish)

• 1 lime, juice and zested

• Olive oil

Directions

Brush the grill or grill pan with olive oil.  Make sure it’s evenly coated, you don’t want your pineapple to stick!  Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on both sides of pineapple before placing on the grill.  Grill each side until nicely marked, but not charred.

Isn’t it beautiful?

Once all the pineapple is grilled, chop the pineapple into small bite-size pieces–about 1/2″ cubes.  Add in remaining veggies, cilantro, lime juice and zest.

Stir everything together to incorporate fully.  Taste test!  Adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

Toss the salsa in the fridge until it’s chilled and ready to serve!

I highly recommend making a double batch…a single batch may not be enough for you AND your guests… I mean, unless you really WANT to share all that wonderful sweet and spicy flavor!

Tagged: appetizer, food, fruit, fruit salsa, Goonies, grilled fruit, grilled pineapple, grilled pineapple salsa, jalapeno, onions, pineapple, pineapple salsa, red peppers, salsa, vegetarian