Well, we may not be able to travel right now, but that shouldn’t stop us from continuing to enjoy our favourite global cuisines - amiright?! Boy-o-boy…you guys are in for a real treat with this recipe and I’m so pumped to finally share it with you. I first ran across it in the Summer 2015 issue of the LCBO Food And Drink Magazine and it’s been a favourite ever since. You don’t have to be a Mexican food aficionado to fall in love with this dish and I guarantee you, if you serve it at a dinner party (one day…when dinner parties are a thing again) you will 100% have your guests begging for the recipe.

This bright and refreshing Nouveau Mexican salad features grilled pineapple and jalapeños mixed with fresh mango and avocado and then tossed in a cilantro lime vinaigrette. The warm sweet heat of the pineapple and jalapeños, cooled by the mango and avocado, is a match made in heaven. You can serve this as an accompaniment to your favourite tacos, or make it star of the show by serving it with grilled chicken or fish.

RECIPE BELOW

INGREDIENTS - Serves 4-6

1 cored and peeled fresh pineapple, sliced into 1 inch (2.5 cm) rounds
4 jalapeños, sliced in half lengthways and seeded
1 large mango, peeled, pitted and chopped
2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup (60 mL) pepitas (optional)

LIME-CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE
¼ cup (60 mL) lime juice (about 4 limes), room temperature
2 tsp (10 mL) runny honey
½ tsp (2 mL) sea salt
3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro, chopped

The first step is to prepare the pineapple and jalapeños for the grill. Start by trimming off the top, bottom and outer layer of the pineapple and cut it into 1 inch thick rounds.

Next, prepare the jalapeños by slicing in half lengthways and seeding. You can set the pineapple and jalapeños aside until they are ready to go on the grill. A note on this: I have made this salad both on the BBQ and using a grill pan for the stove top. While you won’t get that lovely smoky flavour of the BBQ if you do it on the stovetop, it does do a very good job of adding the char and grill marks that you’re after.

Prepare the rest of your salad ingredients by peeling, pitting and chopping your mango, then peeling, pitting and slicing avocados. Place in a bowl and set aside.

Heat grill to medium-high, approximately 400°F (200°C).

Lay the pineapple on the hot grill for several minutes to lightly caramelize, flipping halfway through. At the same time, grill prepared jalapeños. When peppers and pineapple are slightly softened and smelling like heaven, about 2 minutes on each side, remove from grill and chop into chunks.

Make vinaigrette by squeezing limes and whisking together lime juice, honey, salt and olive oil. Stir in cilantro.

Gently toss to combine all of the warm and cool ingredients. Dress the salad with vinaigrette, season to taste, and toss once more. Sprinkle with pepitas and ENJOY!