Here’s a nifty salsa that will fit right into your summer grilling routine – a Grilled Jalapeño, Onion, and Pepita Salsa.
Grilled onions are a favorite side around our kitchen, they’re crazy simple to do – just quarter a medium to large sized red, white, or yellow onion through the root end (it keeps the onion layers together), slather with your favorite oil (olive or avocado for us), douse with a generous sprinkle of good salt and fresh ground pepper, and throw em on the grill.
This salsa highlights the onion’s grilled sweetness, and along with the spice of the jalapeños, the crunch of the pepitas, and the tart burst from the lime juice, this salsa is a wonderful accompaniment to any protein hot off the grill.
It’ll hold for a day in the fridge, though we think it’s best eaten soon after stirring it together (the pepitas are still crunchy).
2 quarters of medium white onion, cut through the root end
1 quarter of medium red onion, cut through the root end
3-4 jalapeños
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup roasted pepitas, chopped
1/4 cup good olive or avocado oil
3 to 4 tbsp fresh lime juice
Good salt to taste
Grill the onions and jalapeños until blistered, let cool. (If you’re not firing the grill for another reason, you can also blister in cast iron skillet over medium high heat, or directly over the flame of a gas burner).
Finely chopped the onion and stemmed and seeded jalapeños, then combine with the cilantro, pepitas, oil of choice, lime juice, and salt in a small serving bowl.
This will hold in the fridge for up to a day, but as it sits the pepitas soften and their flavor begins to dampen a bit. Serve at room temp.
Enjoy.
As we lean these days toward more simple preparations (most of the time) that highlight great ingredients, a few days ago I made these Grilled Jalapeño Poppers with Smoked Gouda to accompany an artisanal chicken sausage I’d run across at our favorite market here in the city. Don’t skip adding the fresh ground pepper to the cheese mixture by the way – it adds a great flavor point and interesting texture too.
Cut the washed peppers in half lengthwise but leave connected at the stem end; using a grapefruit spoon, scrape out the seeds and membranes from the peppers.
