There is a world of difference between fresh and canned salsas, and there can be little doubt about the superiority of the fresh variety. Some of the best nightshade alternatives for salsas involve tropical fruits like mango, papaya, and pineapple whose availability in northern climes can quite tenuous. This simple and quick no nightshade salsa gives you that fresh authentic salsa tang with produce that is generally available year round at almost any supermarket.
This can be served immediately, but gets better as the acids in the juice infiltrate the onions and scallions. Serve with chips or with flex Mex dishes like refried beans and fish tacos. Or on fish, or with frittatas.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple (in its own juice)
- 1 bunch of scallions
- 1 lime
- 1 small red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon red wine (preferably not cooking wine)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
1Drain the pineapple using a strainer or colander. Using the top of the can to drain here may not be reliable, depending on the level of crush. Put the pineapple in a bowl. Reserve the juice.
2Chop the scallions and the red onion. Mince or crush the garlic. Add to the pineapple.
3Add the red wine and juice of the lime. (It doesn’t particularly matter what red wine you use so long as it has a little complexity going for it. The ingredients specify a non-cooking wine because in this case the wine is more of a fresh ingredient.) Adjust moisture by adding reserved pineapple juice as needed.
4Add the cilantro. If making a day ahead of time, add the cilantro a few hours before serving your no nightshade salsa.
