Having people over in the spring and summer months makes up for the gloomy weekends that February and March bring. You can smell the outdoor barbeques and hear neighbors sitting outside with friends. Kids are skating down city streets, and it's light past 6 p.m. All good things. Also good is finding a few recipes that are simple to throw together, just a little unexpected in their flavor profiles, and appeal to even the pickiest of eaters. I think fruit salsas do the trick.
Washing and Spinning Fresh Cilantro for Salsa
Entertaining means different things to different people. Whether it means having a few buddies over for some beer or planning a more structured dinner party, you get to see people you enjoy and hopefully eat something delicious. In our house lately, this involves good salty tortilla chips and fruity salsas. Typically you'll see tomato-based salsas when you go out to eat, or you've likely seen mango salsas at higher-end grocery stores and Mexican restaurants. While I love pico de gallo and tomato salsas, there's something really special about seasonal fruit salsas. They're bright, fragrant, and add a welcome balance to the more typically savory foods that tomato salsas accompany.
Market Fresh Strawberries!
The nice thing about both of these recipes is that the fruit is in season right now. Go and get yourself some strawberries and an ataulfo mango! Because most of the ingredients are the same in each recipe, you can make a mental note when you're at the store to grab some cilantro, a few jalapenos and limes and you're going to be in pretty good shape. This is one of those appetizers you can actually throw together at the last minute if unexpected folks arrive or you run out of time to make something more complicated. There's a bit of chopping involved which I love when I'm having people over because you can put them to work! This obviously saves you time, but I find that people end up gathering in the kitchen anyway, and right when folks arrive at a party it can be nice to have a task to take the pressure off of standing around and making small talk right away.