How to Make Fresh Mango Salsa

This simple mango salsa is easy to make and can add a fresh from the garden Latin flare to your next summer party or get-together. The mango flavor of this homemade salsa adds just the right balance to the spice of the papers.

You can serve this refreshing mango salsa with any of your favorite Mexican or Tex Mex dishes like my favorite cast iron skillet fajitas or fish tacos. This mango salsa goes great with classic American summer favorites like hot dogs and cheeseburgers. You can serve it with fresh corn chips.

For the best mango salsa, you want to use only the freshest ingredients. The better the ingredients you start with the better the overall dish will be in the end.

When trying new recipes you want to stick to the recipe for the most part but don’t be afraid to make changes to fit your personal tastes like swapping out the cilantro for fresh parsley.

Try adding in ripe peaches and ripe mangoes for a tasty peach mango salsa with just enough sweet fruit to balance out the kick of your favorite spicey peppers.

Mango salsa ingredients

• 2 Mangos
• 1 Serrano or Jalapeno Pepper
• 10 Fresh cilantro stalks
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• ¼ Red Onion
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or lemon juice
• Salt to Taste

How to make mango salsa

On a clean cutting board gather your ingredients and chop or dice them to the size you want. For a chunkier salsa, you will want to leave your produce in larger chunks. For a thinner fresh salsa, you can go ahead and use a food processor to speed the process up.

Remember when cutting your serrano or Jalapeño peppers you want to ensure that you wear gloves and that you remove all of the seeds if you are not looking for a spicy salsa. For those that want very spicy salsa, you can leave the seeds.

After you have diced up your ingredients place them in a large bowl and mix until evenly blended.

Add your lime juice and a pinch of salt to taste over the top of your salsa. 

Serve fresh in a salsa bowl with tortilla chips or can your homemade salsa for use over the long cold winter.

If you are canning your salsa you will want to cook it down over medium heat and add enough tomato juice to help properly fill the jars.

How to can homemade mango salsa

Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice hot freshly sterilized canning jars. This step helps to ensure that there is enough acid to keep your salsa from spoiling while being stored canned on the shelf. For this salsa I recommend pressure canning to be certain you hit a high enough temperature to kill off bacteria inside your salsa. If you do choose to water bath can be certain to add more lemon juice to increase the acid levels. 

Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace at the top.

Remove air bubbles with a bubble popper and double-check the headspace to ensure it is not too low.

After filling, wipe the rims of the jars and adjust lids before adding the rings until fingertip tight before processing while still hot.

Pressure Canning

Canning with a water bath is an effective method of preserving canned foods, however, it does not offer the best results. You can preserve salsa with a pressure canner for more protection from bacteria.

Pressure canners hit a much higher temperature, which kills off more bacteria and creates a more preserved product, even for low-acid foods such as salsa without the lemon juice if you do not enjoy the taste.

Using a weighted-gauge pressure canner, process 20 minutes for pint jars and 25 minutes for quart jars.

Live at a higher altitude? The process at 10 lb for altitudes between 0-1,000 feet. The process at 15 lb for altitudes above 1,000 feet.

Storing home-canned mango salsa

Even though many canning lids are now rated for 2 years, home-canned mango salsa can be stored for about a year with any new canning lid with no issues, giving you plenty of time to use up your mango salsa.

Always store home-canned goods in a single layer to give the lids room to come off if the seal breaks. Remove the rings before storing your canned salsa. You are prevented from heating and resealing jars without knowing.

Serving Mango Salsa

Mango salsa is great for serving with Avocados, fish, chicken, and shrimp. You can use child and mango salsa for a simple side dish. Fresh salsa like this mango salsa is great for encouraging everyone to eat more vegetables.