Roasted Strawberry Lime Salsa
To skip the post and step-by-step instructions and go straight to recipe, click here.While roasted strawberries are most commonly found in a dessert-y guise, I think the charred sweetness matches perfectly with tart lime, savory red onion, and spicy jalapeno for a topping or dip that’s summery and refreshing. It goes amazing with grilled chicken and rice, on fish tacos or cheese quesadillas, or simply as a deliciously different take on chips and salsa for a snack or appetizer.
Roasting half of the strawberries in this salsa brings out an extra intense, jammy flavor. Combined with the fresh juiciness of the raw half of the strawberries, you get the best of both worlds! The flavors in this salsa are bursting with brightness and are sure to satisfy.
Recipe Notes:
Why roasted?: Ever noticed how vegetables just taste better roasted than almost any other preparation? That’s because roasting at a high temperature quickly reduces moisture in the produce, causing flavor and sugars to concentrate and caramelize, making everything sweeter and more flavorful! Add those principles to already sweet and delicious strawberries, and you’ve got a treat that’s hard to beat! It’s of course great with already wonderful, in-season berries, but it’s also a clever way to bring out hidden flavors in out-of-season produce too.
Is it a dessert salsa?: No, with the addition of fresh jalapenos and red onion, this is a savory salsa with sweet undertones. However, there are tons of fantastic strawberry dessert salsa recipes out there! If you want to put a roasty spin on a dessert salsa recipe, try roasting half or all of the fruit in the recipe and see how the flavors come alive!
Ingredient replacements: If there’s an ingredient here that doesn’t tickle your fancy, here are a few ingredients replacement suggestions for you, so you can still enjoy a version of this delicious dish that’s better suited to you.
Cilantro: fresh parsley
Lime: lemon (for juice and zest)
Strawberries: quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped grape tomatoes, diced peaches, diced pineapple, diced mango
Red onion: leeks, sweet yellow onion, fennel root (once roasted, it will lose its licorice flavor and become savory)
Jalapeno: green bell pepper (if you want to cut down spice), any other hot pepper (depending on your preferred level of spice)
Step-By-Step Walk-Through
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Step 1:
Roast Strawberries and Onions
Turn oven broiler to high.
Large dice 1 cup of strawberries (cut into quarters, and cut each quarter in thirds).
Dice ½ of a medium to large red onion.
Mix together the strawberries, onion, and a tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet.
Place on top rack of oven under broiler for about 7 minutes until onions are transparent, strawberries are jammy, and things have started to char on the edges.
Remove from oven and scrape into a bowl. Set aside to come to room temperature.
Step 2:
Prep Ingredients
Dice another cup of strawberries, slightly finer than the roasted ones were diced.
Chop 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro.
Finely dice 1 large jalapeno.
Zest a half a lime.
Juice the lime.
Measure out ¾ of a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
Step 3:
Combine Ingredients
In a mixing bowl, combine all of your prepared ingredients from step 2 with the roasted ingredients and mix well.
Serve alongside tortilla chips, pita chips, quesadillas, tacos, or grilled chicken or fish.
Roasted Strawberry Lime Salsa
Servings: 4-6 Time: 30-40 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
2 cups fresh strawberries, separated into 1 cup and 1 cup
½ a medium to large red onion
1 TBS. olive oil
1 large jalapeno
½ lime’s worth of zest
Juice of 1 lime
2 TBS. fresh cilantro
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
Directions
Step 1: Roast Strawberries and Onions
Turn oven broiler to high. Large dice 1 cup of strawberries (cut into quarters, and cut each quarter in thirds). Dice the red onion. Mix together the large-diced strawberries, onion, and a tablespoon of olive oil on a baking sheet. Place on top rack of oven under broiler for about 7 minutes until onions are transparent, strawberries are jammy, and things have started to char on the edges. Remove from oven and scrape into a bowl. Set aside to come to room temperature.
Step 2: Prep Ingredients
Dice a second cup of strawberries, slightly finer than the roasted ones were diced. Chop fresh cilantro. Finely dice jalapeno. Zest ½ of the lime, then juice the lime. Measure out salt and pepper.
Step 3: Combine Ingredients
In a mixing bowl, combine all of your prepared ingredients from step 2 with the roasted ingredients and mix well. Serve alongside tortilla chips, pita chips, quesadillas, tacos, or grilled chicken or fish.