Origin of this Recipe

In addition to cooking, we also enjoy growing some of our own produce. We had been waiting all spring/summer for our habanero peppers to ripen. And at long last, we picked them and decided to use them for this recipe.

We’ve found that the sweetness of the mango really cuts through the heat of the habanero while still leaving a nice spicy kick at the end.

What are habanero peppers

Habanero peppers originated in South America and are classically associated with Mexican cuisine. However, the name actually comes from the capital of Cuba, “La Habana“, also known as Havana. They are spicy chili peppers that are typically either red or orange.

How hot are habanero peppers?

The spiciness of peppers is rated on a scale called the Scoville Scale. Peppers become spicy based on their concentration of capsaicin. The scale ranges from 0 (such as bell peppers which do not actually contain capsaicin) to 15,000,000,000 (which is resiniferatoxin which comes from a native Moroccan plant). Habanero has a Scoville rating of roughly 150,000, compared to jalapeno (5,000), Shishito Peppers (which range from 50-200), and Carolina Reaper (1,500,000). Basically, habaneros are pretty hot for the average person but by no means the hottest peppers out there.

Varieties of mangos

Mango is a tropical fruit that comes from the tree, Mangifera indica. Interestingly, there are over 1,000 cultivars of mangos. Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa produce many of the world mangos but within the US, Florida is a huge producer.

Some of the most common varieties of mangoes include Alphonso (known as the “King of Mangoes,”, the Beverly mango (grown only in Florida), and Fairchild (which originated from Hawaii). Each have their own unique taste and texture. But don’t get caught up on the details since any mango should work well with this Mango Habanero Salsa recipe.

How to make Mango Habanero Salsa

How to tell when a mango is ripe

When you’re in the supermarket shopping for mangoes, finding one with the perfect ripeness can be difficult but is definitely important. The best way to tell if a mango is ripe is to give it a gentle squeeze with your fingertips. You’ll see that unripe mangoes are hard whereas ripe ones have a gentle give when you squeeze them.

Don’t worry if your mangoes aren’t completely ripe yet. Mangoes naturally ripen if kept at room temperature. Placing them in a sealed paper bag van also help to speed up the process.

How to cut a mango

Mangoes often have a large seed in the middle that is adherent to the flesh of the mango so cutting it can be difficult.

The most common way to cut a mango is to make a cut about 1cm from the center all the way down each side (to avoid the seed). Then cut the rest of the flesh away once you visualize the seed. With these mango slices, you can either scoop out the flesh and then cut or you can make slices or cubes first before separating them from the skin.

In this Mango Habanero recipe, since you’ll be blending everything together, you won’t need to make your mango pieces look presentable. Therefore you can just scoop the flesh from the skin after separating it from the seed.

Uses for Mango Habanero Salsa

One reason we love this recipe is how versatile it can be. You can use it as a marinade for chicken or shrimp, a dipping sauce for steak or vegetables, a salsa for chips, or a tapenade for some freshly toasted baguette slices. The possibilities are endless!

We especially like this recipe in the heat of the summer but you can definitely try it year round!

And if this Mango Habanero Salsa recipe looks familiar to you, you’re probably recognizing a similar we had posted before, Aguachiles Verdes & Mango Habanero Aguachiles. Check it out too!