If you had asked me 10 years ago if I’d be eating, let alone making a Pineapple or Mango anything, I would have said a very firm, “NO”. I’ve never been a huge fan of pineapple but have started finding it refreshing lately and I still don’t like mango BUT when it’s added to something like this Pineapple Shrimp & Mango Salsa, I can handle it. Truth be told, I actually like it!
I guess I can confess that I’m not a huge fruit lover. My mom used to always put some kind of fruit on our lunch plates and I would find a way to make it look like I ate some so I could walk away with “Yes, I made sure I took a bite.” Or when she would pack in our lunches for school, yep – you guessed it, it went into the trash (shhh….I still don’t think she knows this!). I’m not proud of this behavior at all but sadly, it is true.
As I grew up, I started liking fruits that my mom never got. We would just have the standards on hand like apples, oranges and grapes. Oh and bananas, which is one fruit I did eat without “pretending”. But once I started grocery shopping on my own, I soon found the love of berries! Why hadn’t my mom ever got berries??? I love them all ….and that’s when fruit did become a part of my diet on a somewhat regular basis.
I get a lot of questions as to why I don’t eat much fruit. A lot of followers seem to think that I don’t eat it because of the sugar content. It really is a matter of me not being particularly fond of fruit. I actually wish I liked fruit more because I believe there are so many nutrients that fruit gives us. I am glad that of all the fruits, berries are my favorite as there are many antioxidant benefits in berries. Since I love berries, this is why you’ll see most recipes that have any fruit in them at all, will be ones with berries such as these Berry Streusel Muffins!
My husband loves tropical fruit. I feel badly because I don’t grab it a lot but he will often suggest a fruit salsa that would be good with a fish I made or to top off tacos. That’s how this Pineapple Shrimp & Mango Salsa came about. I made it to top off tacos but then we ended up just eating it up before the tacos were even finished being made! It’s good either way and with summer here, I suggest doubling the recipe to top off any burger, taco or just to have in a bowl to scoop up with your favorite scooper!
I hope you all didn’t fall asleep reading this blog post about my fruit likes and dislikes! I am growing up if you will … and making this Pineapple Shrimp & Mango Salsa was mostly to please my husband but partly because I wanted to venture out and try something new. Much to my surprise, I like this a lot! The sweet, tangy and spicy combo is a great blend of flavors to satisfy everyone’s palate. This refreshing salsa is such a perfect compliment to any summer time meal!
- 2 heaping cups cooked, peeled and regained shrimp, diced (about 25 shrimp)
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 cup diced mango
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 jalapeño, diced
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 small avocado
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- Juice of one lime
- Juice of one lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Dice shrimp, pineapple, mango & cucumber in uniformed sizing.
- Dice red onions, red bell pepper and jalapeño in smaller pieces.
- Add all to bowl, with cilantro and toss with lime and lemon juice. Add salt and incorporate.
- If serving immediately, add in diced avocado. If prepping ahead, add avocado just before serving.
