Black Cherry-Habanero Salsa

Easy to make, incredibly fresh tasting with a wonderful heat that doesn’t overpower. Sweetness from the cherries, tanginess from the lime, depth of flavor from the parsley and cilantro, heat from the Habanero, and good with so many things. Great on grilled meat, fresh fish fillets, salads and even as a ‘small plate’. I long for it during the winter months, and my craving for it has led me to try it with frozen bing cherries……but that just isn’t the same. So as soon as I see the first Bing cherries arrive I think of this summer salsa first – and make it!  Being a salsa, this recipe is adaptable to many different ingredients, although I find I keep to my recipe very closely – the balance of flavors seem just right.
 

Black Cherry-Habanero Salsa Recipe: (makes about 2 cups)

• 24 fresh Bing cherries, pitted and chopped
• 1/2 to 1 fresh Habanero chili pepper*, seeds removed and minced
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 large)
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, finely diced
• 12 tiny sweet tomatoes, halved and sliced
• 1/2 small vidalia onion, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup loose pack Italian parsley leaves, minced
• 1/2 cup loose pack fresh cilantro leaves, minced
• 1 clove fresh garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 + teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

The best way to make this salsa is to chop everything with a knife rather than in a food processor. Get all the ingredients prepped, then further smash the habanero and garlic with a mortar and pestle or the back of your chef’s knife.

 

Combine all the ingredients, taste for salt and pepper and that’s it! Letting it macerate for an hour helps the flavors blend, and by the next day it will mellow in flavor, but also will be very balanced in sweetness, tartness and heat. Also, it will produce some nice juices which make a  terrific base for a vinaigrette.

If perhaps you want to use a food processor to make the salsa, here are some key steps to doing so:

In the processor, add minced  habanero, chopped  garlic,  parsley, cilantro, 1/4  teaspoon salt, a few grinds of black pepper and lime juice. Whiz up to a fine chop, scrape down the sides and whiz again. Stop processor and add onion and red pepper. Pulse 3 or 4 times, add tomatoes and cherries and pulse only twice or three times more. Turn into a  bowl and taste for salt and pepper.

 

Regarding the Habanero:  Start with  half  of the habanero – they vary widely in heat. If it is not spicy enough, mince more very finely and add after mixing the salsa. If you find the salsa is  on the other hand  too spicy, cover and leave in the fridge overnight……the heat will decrease.

 

Habanero chili peppers come in a variety of colors (usually red or orange), and sometimes are confused with Scotch Bonnet peppers. Scotch Bonnets are a very good substitute for Habaneros (they come from the same family of peppers) and the rule of thumb for telling the difference between them is that the Scotch Bonnet is squatty, and shaped somewhat like a Scottish cap called a tam, while the Habanero is more elongated and tear-drop shaped. Both are hot, hot, hot, so handle carefully!

 

No cherry pitter? No problem!  No fancy gadget is needed to remove the pit from a sweet cherry. Simply remove the stem, push gently on the flat side of the cherry until it splits, then pop the pit out!