I am always developing ideas for ways I can make use of rhubarb. We have a long-established rhubarb patch at the end of the garden that always produces large beautiful red stalks. It was planted circa 1993-94 and is the German Wine variety. Because of its rich red color, it lends itself to colorful dishes. While we freeze lots of rhubarb for winter usage, I try to make good use of it while it is fresh. There’s just something so satisfying in being able to go to the garden to pick a few stalks of rhubarb just as I need them for a dish I am making.
Today, I am sharing the recipe I developed for Rhubarb Salsa. As you know, there has to be some kind of base for the salsa – something that gives it its bulk, if you will. For example, in many salsas, that tends to be a tomato base. In my recipe, which is a sweet salsa, I am using rhubarb as the base. Use young, thin rhubarb stalks for this recipe.
Rhubarb cooks quickly and can fast become sauce in which case in loses its shape. For this recipe, cook the rhubarb for only about 1 minute (or even less) and then quickly rinse it with cold water to immediately stop the cooking process. The rhubarb should be fork tender and still able to hold its diced shape and not be mushy. Because rhubarb does lose some of its bright color when cooked, I have added some highly colourful fruits and vegetables to make the salsa attractive – i.e., chopped mango, crushed pineapple, red pepper, and red onion.
For sweetener, I have used maple syrup and you can use either plain syrup or a flavoured or infused version. Any flavour of dry salsa seasoning available can be used. Likewise, any flavour of balsamic vinegar can be used, even a traditional white balsamic. I typically use either a honey ginger, pineapple, or mango balsamic vinegar which I have bought from our local Liquid Gold and All Things Olive store here in Charlottetown as any of these vinegar flavours works quite well with the other ingredients in this salsa.
This salsa can be used on nachos or as a topping for fish, pork, or chicken. It adds color and flavour to many dishes.
Rhubarb Salsa
Ingredients:
2 cups rhubarb, finely diced
⅔ cup canned crushed pineapple (with juice)
⅓ cup red onion, diced
¾ cup mango, diced
¼ cup red pepper, diced
Juice of ½ lime
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp honey ginger, pineapple, or mango balsamic vinegar (a traditional white balsamic vinegar may be used if any of the suggestions are not available)
Zest of ½ lime
Dry salsa seasoning mix of choice and of amount to taste preference
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 – 2 tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm or cilantro leaves, to taste (optional)
Method:
Assemble ingredients.
Bring 1 cup of water to boil in pot. Add diced rhubarb and cook over medium heat for apx. 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse rhubarb under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and gently pat rhubarb dry with paper towel.
Combine crushed pineapple, onion, mango, and red pepper in bowl. Add the cooled rhubarb. Stir gently, trying not to break up the rhubarb.
In small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, maple syrup, vinegar, lime zest, salt and pepper.
Stir in the dry salsa seasoning mix in an amount according to personal taste preference.
Pour over fruit and vegetables and stir gently.
If desired, add chopped lemon balm or cilantro leaves.
Refrigerate salsa at least 20 minutes before serving. Store in sealed container for up to two to three days in refrigerator.
Serve with nachos or as a topping on fish, pork, or chicken.
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Rhubarb Salsa
Tasty rhubarb-based salsa. Use on nachos or as a topping on fish, pork, or chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups rhubarb, finely diced
- ⅔ cup canned crushed pineapple (with juice)
- ⅓ cup red onion, diced
- ¾ cup mango, diced
- ¼ cup red pepper, diced
- Juice of ½ lime
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar of choice (e.g., honey ginger, pineapple, or mango balsamics work well in this recipe) [if none of these is available, a good quality traditional white balsamic vinegar may be used]
- Zest of ½ lime
- Dry salsa seasoning mix of choice and of amount to taste preference
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh lemon balm or cilantro leaves, to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients.
- Bring 1 cup of water to boil in pot. Add diced rhubarb and cook over medium heat for apx. 1 minute. Drain and immediately rinse rhubarb under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and gently pat rhubarb dry with paper towel.
- Combine crushed pineapple, onion, mango, and red pepper in bowl. Add the cooled rhubarb. Stir gently, trying not to break up the rhubarb.
- In small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, maple syrup, vinegar, lime zest, salt and pepper.
- Stir in the dry salsa seasoning mix.
- Pour over fruit and vegetables and stir gently.
- If desired, add chopped lemon balm or cilantro leaves.
- Refrigerate salsa at least 20 minutes before serving. Store in sealed container for up to two to three days in refrigerator.
- Serve with nachos or as a topping on fish, pork, or chicken.
Recipe Notes
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