Homemade mango habanero salsa is the perfect combination the the fiery habanero peppers with the sweetness of juicy sweet mango. Whether you're looking to add a spicy kick to your tacos or a sweet twist to your chips, this flavorful salsa is easily made with simple and fresh ingredients.

ingredient notes:

Habaneros

Habanero peppers are high on the Scoville scale, measuring between 100,000 to 350,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU). This makes them significantly spicier than jalapeno peppers. Habaneros are easily recognizable by their vibrant orange color. In grocery stores, they are typically found in the produce section, standing out among other peppers due to their distinctive hue and small, lantern-like shape. Despite their searing heat, they are also appreciated for their fruity and slightly sweet flavor, making them a popular choice for hot sauces and salsas.

Fresh mangoes

Be sure to look for ripe juicy mangoes when you’re making this salsa. You need the sweetness of a ripe slightly soft mango to help cut the heat from the habaneros.

Safety Tip

It’s not a bad idea to wear gloves while you cut and handle the spicy peppers. I’ve never actually taken the time to find gloves when making this salsa- and the downside has been that I have rubbed habanero juice in my eye more than once. It makes for an uncomfortable evening.

Alterations

If spicy salsa is not your thing adjust the spice level by switching out the kind of pepper. A serrano pepper would be your next spiciest choice, followed by the still spicy but slightly milder jalapeño pepper, and bell peppers with give you significantly milder salsa.
Make swap: this is pretty flexible recipe so don’t be afraid to swap out the lime juice for lemon juice or the red onion for white onion. If you don’t have chili powder, throw in a little cayenne.
You could also opt for a mixed fruit salsa, using peaches, and or pineapple. Just use the same proportion of all of the other ingredients to fruit and you’ll end up with a pretty tasty salsa.
I prefer a chunkier salsa, but if you would like yours to be smoother and thinner, simply add all of the ingredients into a bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until you get the desired consistency.

How to chop a mango

The first time I bought a mango I had no idea how to attack it. There’s a long flattish pit inside of it that can make it confusing about how to remove the flesh easily.

Stand the mango upright on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut from the top of the mango down the side of the pit. You’re going to make three more similar cuts creating a diamond shape on either end of the mango pit.

Once you have most of the flesh off of the pit, slice a series of vertical lines, then horizontal lines through the flesh but not through the skin. Once you have a grid of cuts through the flesh it’ll make it easier to push the skin, inverting the shape and making it so you can cut the flesh away from the skin.

Once you have the mango cubes ready, prep the rest of the ingredients. Start by chopping the red onion and cilantro. Next, seed and mince one fresh jalapeño. (If you don’t have a fresh jalapeño feel free to use jarred)

In a large bowl combine the mango, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, salt, and the juice of one large lime.

You can serve the salsa immediately but the flavors really start to meld after about a half-hour. Store the mango salsa in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

What to serve spicy mango habanero salsa so with?

Serve as a dip with favorite tortilla chips or pita chip
Over grilled salmon and sear tuna
Fish tacos
Cajun Honey Butter Salmon

If you’ve tried this Mango Salsa recipe or any other recipe on BalancingBowls, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to see more tasty meals and anything else I’m up to.

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