Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, so fruit salsas come to mind to complement any dish. This is the perfect time of year to find fresh, ripe, juicy pineapples, mangos, strawberries, and even avocados. Mango seasons tend to be from May through September whereas pineapple seasons tend to be from March through the summer.

Growing up in SoCal, I have eaten many salsas – mostly savory, but some on the sweeter side – but now salsas don’t just equal a tomato or tomatillo-base any more. Fresh in-season fruit is very popular in creating fruit salsas and condiments for dishes. Strawberries that are macerated with a pinch of sugar and salt, with thinly diced bell peppers, makes for a perfect salsa-condiment to add to vanilla or strawberry ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Growing up in SoCal, I was lucky enough to try the best authentic Mexican street food north and south of the border, and what I learned from a young age was an out-of-this-world salsa or marinade pushes a dish from being just good to being amazing and craveable.

Ingredients included in a fruit salsa are like Skittles: You can taste the rainbow. (Esther Kennedy/Contributed)

Macerating strawberries with a pinch or two of granulated white sugar and a pinch of salt creates a beautiful salsa and adding a slight kick from fresh peppers like jalapenos gives the perfect topping for vanilla bean ice cream. Sweet meets a tiny bit of heat is a perfect marriage of flavors. Fruit salsas with mango or pineapple at the forefront are amazing on fish tacos, carne asada burritos, nachos, as well as perfect just dipping chips into the salsa.

Pro tip: As much as homemade chips are used in recipes and fun to make, sometimes keeping it simple and using your favorite store-bought tortilla chips is the way to go.

When making a fresh, fruity salsa, use robust flavors like red or orange bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime zest and juice.

May the fruit salsa be with you!

Live zestier!

Esther Kennedy is a Myrtletown resident. She can be reached at estherthezester@gmail.com or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/estherthezester.