It’s high summer here in Wisconsin which means just one thing when it come to feeding our family: Grilling. Weather. I was looking for some papaya recipes to accompany a grilled jerk chicken and I totally hit paydirt with this simple papaya salsa. If you’re looking to mix up your salsa game a bit then you are in luck.
This chunky salsa recipe makes for a great appetizer or garnish.
What is this?
Confession time. This is my first of what I feel certain is going to be many papaya recipes. Holy delicious! You can actually taste the fun in your mouth with this papaya salsa
This papaya recipe starts off with a lime and a cutting board.
What you need to make this:
- Papaya
- Lime juice
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Shallots
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Whole Cloves
- Chili Pepper
- Salt and Pepper
Macerate the garlic, scallions and pepper in fresh lime juice.
How to make it
Use a small bowl and squeeze the juice out of a couple of lime. That tangy goodness is going to help the other ingredients get better acquainted. Next, chop up everything else except for the papaya and toss those ingredients in with the fresh lime juice. Mascerating the harsher aromatics like the garlic and scallions will take away their sharp edge and replace it with a mellow and pleasing finish.
Crushing whole cloves is easy to do with a rolling pin.
Most of us have ground cloves in our pantry and you may even have whole cloves sitting there as well. You can use the ground cloves if you’re in a pinch but you’ll get a whole higher element of taste by using freshly crushed cloves instead. How do you crush whole cloves? Enter the rolling pin, into this recipe process!
This recipe uses a couple of papayas.
Slice the papaya in half, scrape out the seeds and then peel the skin off with a pairing knife. Experiment and see if it’s easier for you to skin the papaya before slicing it in half. Doing it as I show in the photo above works best for me. The next thing you’ll do is dice the papaya into chunks, about a half-inch in size.
Add the diced papaya to the other ingredients.
You’re almost finished at this point which is a good thing because things really take a sharp turn toward the delicious side. Grab a chip or tasting spoon and have a little sample of what’s in the bowl. Need more salt? A few more cloves? A touch more of cilantro? How about a little more ground pepper. As I always say when in the kitchen, “Make it your own!”
Enjoy this papaya salsa with chips or as a garnish for grilled meat of seafood.
We’re pretty big fans of salsas and have made a few other similar recipes that I think you might enjoy. These include:
- Roasted Summer Salsa with Cucumber Chips
- Cool Cucumber Salsa
- Roasted Corn Salsa
- Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips
- Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Avocado Salsa
Looking for more Papaya Recipes? Here are just a few that I think you might like!
- Papaya Breakfast Bowl from Bowl me Over
- 10 Ways to Enjoy Papaya from Fruit and Veggies More Matters
- What are Some Good Papaya Recipes from the Kitchn
Papaya Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Papaya Peeled, seeded, cut into ½ chunks
- 2 Scallions fine chop
- 3 Garlic Cloves fine chop
- 1 Shallot fine chop
- 2 Limes for fresh lime juice
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp Cilantro fine chop
Instructions
- Squeeze lime juice into a small bowl. then, chop up the cilantro, scallions, shallot, and cloves. Add them to the lime juice and stir lightly.
- Add Papaya to the lime juice mixture, gently stir while adding salt and pepper to taste. Fold in cilantro an have a fiesta!
Notes
Nutrition
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