One Kitchen, Many Cultures

Gluten Free Sauces & Condiments Vegetarian

Ultimate Caribbean Salsa Topping For Tacos, Hotdogs & Burgers.

caribbean salsa (3)

When some of your youngest fans get their mom to contact you “mom can you contact Chris to see if he can do a Caribbean taco recipe for us?” you know you have to jump into action. So the first thing I cranked out was the topping for said taco. During the summer months this also works as a great topping for grilled burgers and hot dogs. And when those cold wintry weekends kicks in and I want to brighten up my mood… I put a side of this with my eggs at breakfast! Versatile indeed!

You’ll Need…

2 cups diced pineapple
1 1/2 cups diced mango
1/2 scotch bonnet pepper (no seeds)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 lime (juice)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3/4 cup diced tomato

* optionally you can add diced cucumber, scallions and for more of a kick you can add a bit more scotch bonnet pepper. If doing this recipe gluten free be sure to go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.

caribbean salsa (1)

Prep all the ingredients. Remember when handling scotch bonnet peppers to wear gloves and wash your hands immediately after with soap and water. You can leave out the scotch bonnet pepper or opt for a milder pepper if you wish. Do not use any seeds or the white membrane surrounding the seeds as that’s where the ‘raw’ heat will be. Basically you’re dicing all the ingredients somewhat the same size.

Then place it all in a large bowl and mix well. Place in the fridge to chill and marinate for about 30 minutes so all the flavors come together.

caribbean salsa (2)

caribbean salsa (3)

caribbean salsa (4)

Hoping to have the taco recipe done in the coming days as I’m sure my little friends are eagerly waiting. It still amazes me that there are kids as young as 1 and 2 years old who watch me on Youtube on the regular and find me entertaining. Brings a joy to my heart to know that I’m helping to preserve and curate my/our culinary culture. Thank you to mom, dad and all the elders who are allowing the young ones to tune in (I’ll keep that in mind when I’m recording to keep the content family friendly). BTW, you can store this in the fridge for about 1 week before it starts to fall apart on you and loose it’s texture and zing.

Vegetarian

A piquant green mango chutney.

moms-mango-chutneyAs with any trip to Trinidad and Tobago, breakfast means sourcing out the best doubles in Port Of Spain as I usually arrive with a severe craving. I came to learn that the doubles vendors are not only judged on the size, texture and taste of the doubles itself, but what makes a doubles considered the “best” is the chutney and other accompanying hot sauces the vendor provides. Without that “good pepper”, an excellent doubles could easily go unnoticed.

Though I can’t make doubles (only a matter of time before I master that… hold tight) I do love me some mango chutney with my scrambled eggs and as a topping for a juicy t-bone steak! As a matter of fact you can use this spicy sauce as aside for just about everything (as you would normally use hotsauce). Opens up your appetite!

You’ll need…

2 green mangoes peeled. (1 diced and the other grated)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cilantro chopped (or shandow beni)
1 hot pepper (I used a full habanero with the seeds)
1 lime

green-mango-chutney

In a bowl add the salt, hot pepper and garlic, then crush to a fine paste. For best results you can use a mortar and pestle. I usually slice the garlic and pepper to make this step easier.

green-mango-chutney-recipe

mango-chutney-recipe

Traditionally the mango chutney is usually grated, but I like a bit of texture so I grate one of the mangoes and the other I dice as if I were making a salsa. Makes a great combination. Wash and peel the mangoes and in a plate or bowl, begin to grate. Remember that the mango will have a seed, so you’ll have to work around it.

double-mango-chutney

mango-chutney-doubles

With care, dice the remaining mango. Do remember the pit or seed so your knife does not bounce off it and cause injury to you.

mango-chutney

The final step is the combine everything. Don’t forget to add the juice of the lime (or lemon) and the chopped cilantro. Give it a good mix and check to see if more salt is required. ENJOY!

spicy-mango-chutney

Be kind and leave me your comments and thoughts below. I’d love to hear from you.