My friend Chef Rulis Gonzalez, owner of Rulis’ International Kitchen, recently spoke to me about a segment he was going to work on with the Tacos of Texas for their DocuSeries Season 1 with PBS. As we discussed this project I told him to bring them a variety of spicy salsa to pair with the tacos. I was so adamant that he highlights the chiles of the region because they are unlike anywhere else due to our heat and 3 states and 2 countries. Ruli mentioned that he might do a red salsa and then I just told him I would make him a variety of salsas and bring them for him to use if he wanted to.
So why am I mentioning this in the blog? Well if it hadn’t been for this conversation with Ruli I would never have made the Australian Black Currant Mango Serrano Salsa. This salsa represents a bit of Texas and a bit of my husband’s country of Australia and made on the spot, I called it my wild card salsa. I didn’t know if they would like it or not or use it in fact, so I made 4 other salsas that I have already featured on the blog and were passed down to me by my family.
The Australian (Tasmanian) Black Currant Mango Serrano Salsa is a spicy, sweet, refreshing, and light salsa that can be made in minutes. It is perfect for carnitas (pork), which by the way is what Ruli made for the segment, and also pairs well with seafood or any pork dish and can be eaten alone as well. This recipe calls for 7 ingredients and the dried Australian Black Currants can be ordered online, if possible source them from Tasmania. It combines Ataulfo Mangos, which are the yellow mangos from Mexico and in season from April to October depending on the temperature, with the heat of the serrano chiles and fused with lime and finely chopped cilantro. It is the epitome of summer yummy goodness!
Buen Provecho!
Australian Black Currant Mango Serrano Salsa
Printable Version
Yield: Serves 4-6 Total Time: 5-15 minutes
Ingredients:
-6 Diced Ataulfo Mangos
-6 Finely Diced Serrano Chiles
-1 Finely Diced Red Onion
-1 Bundle of Cilantro
-5 Limes
-10 dashes of Pink
Himalayan Sea Salt
-6 tablespoons of Dried Australian
Black Currants
Equipment Needed:
-Cutting Board
-Knife
-Juicer
-Large Glass Bowl/Glass Jar for Storing
Prep:
– Rinse Cilantro bundle and remove long stems, then finely chop the cilantro and set
aside
– Rinse the handful of serrano chiles and chop off the ends
– Then roll and rub the serrano chiles against the cutting board with your hands (it may
be an old wives’ tale but legend says if you roll and rub the chiles it helps make the
chile spicier- I always do this)
– Finely dice 1 medium sized red onion and set aside
– Peel 6 Ataulfo Mangos (yellow mangos) and finely dice the mangos and set aside,
discard the pit
– Juice 5 Limes with a juicer and set aside
Directions:
– Get a large glass bowl
– Pour the finely chopped cilantro, finely diced serrano chiles, finely diced red onion,
finely diced Ataulfo mangos, lime juice, and 6 tablespoons of dried Australian black
currants into the bowl and gently fold the ingredients in together
– Add a couple of dashes of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt depending on your preference (I
usually add about 10 small dashes)
– Get a serving bowl and pour the salsa and eat with chips or add to your favorite
seafood dish or pork dish
**** If the salsa is too spicy add more mangos, if it is not spicy enough gradually add more serrano chiles. *****