Strawberry Salsa
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This sweet and spicy salsa uses strawberries in place of tomatoes for a fun twist on traditional salsa. It’s the perfect summer dip or for any time you have delicious fresh strawberries on hand.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Bushel and Berry®.
If you’re anything like me, you can turn chips and salsa into a meal. And if there’s guacamole involved, then even better, because now we’ve got our fat and protein covered.
In fact, I regularly make nachos into lunch or dinner, and this strawberry salsa was a fun addition to my post-photoshoot lunch. And admittedly, I swear this is 100% a true story… It never actually made it to the fridge. Because my husband and I ate it all in one sitting. OOPS.
Obviously, we took the phrase “fresh salsa” very literally.
SWEET STRAWBERRIES IN SAVORY SALSA? YES.
I know, it might sound strange, but that only means you aren’t acknowledging that a tomato is technically a fruit, so really, there’s no funny business going on here whatsoever.
You’ve seen mango salsa in the grocery store, you’ve had pineapple salsa on your fish tacos from your favorite taco truck, and now you’re going to want strawberry salsa on every last tortilla chip you can get your hands on and I’m not even sorry to be the catalyst to that.
You. Are. Welcome.
Strawberries obviously bring a sweet flavor and juicy texture to salsa, but they also bring a slight sour taste to the mix. Can you see, now, how strawberries are actually very similar to tomatoes and fit right in alongside onion, jalapeño, and cilantro? Is that the crinkling of a chip bag I hear?
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS FRESH STRAWBERRY SALSA RECIPE
You’ll need lots of fresh ingredients for this fruit salsa recipe, and yes, there is wiggle room. Be sure to read each ingredient carefully for my best suggestions of variety so your salsa is as top notch delicious as possible!
FRESH STRAWBERRIES: while my strawberry frosting and strawberry cookies both utilize freeze-dried strawberries to bring the strawberry flavor, unfortunately there is no substitute for fresh strawberries in this easy strawberry salsa recipe. Thanks to Bushel and Berry®, I had fresh strawberries available to me when I made this recipe. I particularly like this strawberry plant, Scarlet Belle™, because it produces juicy strawberries all season! It works well planted in patio pots, hanging baskets, or garden beds.
BELL PEPPER: I prefer the taste of a sweet bell pepper in my salsa, and I chose a yellow one almost entirely on visuals (I wanted the strawberries to be the only thing with that bright red color). Orange was my next choice. You can absolutely use a red or green bell pepper, but again, I like the sweeter taste the yellow or orange bring.
ONION: I used a red onion in this salsa, but I often use a sweet onion when it comes to my salsas and my guacamole. Any variety of onion is fine here. You know how much bite you prefer!
FRESH CILANTRO: classic! I admit to filling my measuring cup pretty tightly and adding the overflow to my salsa. In my opinion, there’s never too much cilantro.
GARLIC: I used 3 garlic cloves, but you can measure the amount of garlic you add with your heart. Vanilla extract and garlic… There’s rarely too much of either in any recipe ever.
JALAPEÑO PEPPER: keep or get rid of as many seeds as you prefer here. The more seeds, the spicier your salsa will be. I like to keep some because I like a little heat, but I also like to actually taste my food, so I don’t add all of them.
LIME: we’ll be using the zest of an entire lime as well as all of the juice. Lime + strawberry is one delicious combo, isn’t it? Just ask my strawberry margarita squares!
SALT: I have used table/Kosher salt in my salsa but also coarse sea salt. Be sure you’re adjusting the amount of salt you add if you’re using something with large crystals. The amount in the recipe is written for table/Kosher salt. Be sure to check the notes about adjustments if you use a different crystal size.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY SALSA
If you can chop/dice/mince and mix, you are well on your way to being a salsa-making pro. It’s so simple, even my kids can do it… With their kid knives, duh! In fact, they have helped me make salsa. Just not the batches I take pictures of, LOLz.
STEP #1
In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño pepper then stir to combine.
STEP #2
Add the lime juice, lime zest, and salt, then stir to distribute evenly. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for flavors to marry.
Aaaaand, that’s it. That’s literally it. This is such an easy salsa recipe!
HOW TO SERVE THIS FRUITY SALSA RECIPE
Remember when I said ours didn’t even make it to the fridge? Yeah. And it was still delicious. So the flavors marrying in the fridge is strictly upon principle. You do you, salsa lover.
Serve with your favorite salty tortilla chips or corn chips, alongside taco casserole, on top of taco zucchini boats, or with your sheet pan quesadillas.
MORE RECIPES TO ENJOY DURING STRAWBERRY SEASON
Strawberry Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries hulled and diced; about 2 and ½ cups when diced
- ½ bell pepper1 diced
- ¼ cup diced onion2
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 small jalapeño pepper seeded and minced3
- juice and zest of 1 lime
- ½ teaspoon salt4
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the strawberries, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, garlic, and jalapeño pepper then stir to combine.1 pound (454g) fresh strawberries, ½ bell pepper1, ¼ cup diced onion2, ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 small jalapeño pepper
- Add the lime juice, lime zest, and salt, then stir to distribute evenly. Taste and add more salt, if needed. Allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours for flavors to marry. Serve chilled or at room temperature with chips. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I do not recommend making this salsa too far ahead of time nor freezing it.juice and zest of 1 lime, ½ teaspoon salt4
Notes
- Bell pepper: I used a yellow pepper, but you can use any you prefer. I like the sweetness of a yellow or orange, but red or green would be fine, too.
- Onion: I used a red onion, but I also like to use sweet onions in my salsa, too. Use your preference.
- Jalapeño pepper: I usually leave some of the seeds in when I make salsa because I like a little heat. Removing all the seeds will keep the heat down, and keeping them all will make this salsa very spicy.
- Salt: this measurement is for table/Kosher salt. If you prefer sea salt, reduce amount to about ¼ teaspoon. You can always add more salt if it’s not salty enough for you after you taste it.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Absolutely so delicious! We loved the sweet and the heat of this recipe. I will definitely make again during summer days by the pool!
Thanks, Ashley! So glad you gave it a try 🙂