Sweet and Spicy Fresh Salsa

April 30, 2020

This fresh salsa recipe makes the most delicious fruit salsa you’ll ever taste! It’s a sweet and spicy combination of jalapeño, grapes and cucumbers – the perfect dip for snacking!

fresh salsa recipe, served in a black bowl - made with cucumbers, grapes, cilantro, and jalapeno

Hello friends and welcome to the start of homemade salsa week!! I had this idea (back in November) to share a whole week of easy homemade salsa recipes leading up to cinco de mayo. Well, we are less than a week, actually. I know I know, most of us are still on a shelter in place plan and social distancing, but I still think this would be a fun recipe project for the whole family to partake in! A celebration of fresh fruit and vegetables in their PRIME form. Ya feel me? Be sure to follow along on IG on week (and on the blog) because I’ll be sharing an epic salsa snack bar post to wrap up the cinco de mayo salsa week!

Now, let’s begin salsa week with this sweet and spicy cucumber salsa!

I’m telling y’all, this delicate and refreshing sweet and spicy fruit salsa is beautiful, and it tastes great with almost anything!

After you see how easy the recipe is to make, you’ll want to jump right on making it.

It’s super refreshing and I think it’s perfect to serve in all sorts of ways.

with chips (or my homemade healthy crackers)
on a cheese or charcuterie board)
as garnish for a salad
on top of grilled steak or burgers

It’s even delicious on grilled chicken, salmon cakes, and other fish!

See what I mean? It’s great with practically everything! Seriously, I may even willing to eat it with a rock hard slice of homemade vegan bread. Just sayin’.

Plus, it’s vegan and paleo-friendly – YES! If you’d like to make it whole30 friendly as well, that’s possible, too – just skip the honey.

Fresh salsa recipe ingredients

ingredients on a cutting board to make a fresh salsa recipe

Look at all of these fresh ingredients waiting to become delicious grape and cucumber salsa goodness. YUM!

It’s a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy, hence my sweet and spicy in the title. Haha.

Pickling cucumbers – If you are unfamiliar with these, pickling cucumbers are firmer and much smaller than other cukes. They’re in season during the summer months, so in a pinch, you can use a seedless English cucumber.
Red and green grapes – Unless you enjoy removing seeds from between your teeth, go for the seedless grapes.
Jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed – For an extra spicy kick, leave the seeds and membrane intact.
Scallions (green onion)
Honey (or agave, for vegan option) – For the best health benefits, be sure to use raw, unfiltered honey.
Fresh cilantro
Fresh herbs of choice – Herbs like fresh parsley or basil would be perfect.
Lemon or lime juice – Freshly squeezed, if you please.
Kosher or sea salt – Don’t skip the salt; it helps to balance out the other flavors.
Black pepper

How to make sweet and spicy fruit salsa

fresh cucumber salsa in bowl of food processor

Wait just one minute. I bet I know what you’re thinking right now. Why am I calling this fresh salsa recipe FRUIT salsa? I mean, there are grapes in it, but cucumber??

Is cucumber a fruit?

This is a very common question. Are cucumbers a fruit or a vegetable?

Nerdy Google trivia – over 60,500 people a month search for an answer to this question!! This means, you’re not the only one who wants to know.

In fact, cucumbers are a member of the gourd family. However, because they grow on a flowering plant and have seeds, cucumbers are a fruit. FYI: this applies to tomatoes as well.

Take that info to your next trivia night party – along with a bag of chips and a bowl of sweet and spicy fruit salsa!

Now that your question has an answer, let me show you how to make the recipe. Get ready, y’all. There are only THREE steps in the making of this incredibly delicious condiment.

Prep – Cut, dice, and slice the fruit. Be careful not to touch your eyes, nose, or other membranes when you cut the jalapeno. Trust me, you do not want jalapeno juice in your eyes.
Blend – Place all of your ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Then, pulse just a few times to combine everything and your salsa is ready! OR for THICKER SALSA — Skip the blender! No food processor? No prob! Yep, you can also finely dice everything by hand if you don’t have a food processor!
Chill – Put the salsa into a non-reactive serving bowl and allow it to chill for at least 30 minutes.

A “non-reactive” bowl is one that isn’t going to react to the acid in the salsa. This means, use glass, stainless steel, or something ceramic. Don’t use plastic, cast iron, or aluminum containers because the acid will eat away at your container.

bowl of homemade cucumber salsa with grapes and jalapeno

Ohhh, and about that trivia party. When you go, take along some other fruit salsas too, because I have a more to choose from! If you haven’t already seen these recipes, be sure to check them out:

woman's hands holding a silver mixing bowl of sweet and spicy fruit salsa

How long will fresh salsa stay fresh?

After you make the fresh salsa recipe, you want it to sit for a while. This is because the longer it sits, the more the flavors marry into beautiful harmony.

However, after a couple of days, the water in the cucumbers will begin to cause the salsa to become watery. As a result, it will lose its flavor. I think it tastes the best eaten fresh – definitely eat it within three days for sure.

Sweet and Spicy Fresh Salsa

Author: Lindsay Cotter
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 2 cups

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Description

This fresh salsa recipe makes the best fruit salsa you’ll ever taste! A spicy-sweet combination of jalapeño, grapes and cucumbers. Perfect with chips for snacking, or use as a topping on grilled meats, poultry, or fish.

Ingredients

1 medium pickling cucumber, finely diced
1 cup red and green seedless grapes, diced
1 small jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed
1 scallion, minced
1 tablespoon raw honey*
1 tbsp fresh cilantro
1 tsp dried or 1 tbsp fresh herb of choice. (Ex: parsley or basil)
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes so the flavors can meld.
Chill at least 10 minutes before serving. Can make up to 12 hours ahead.
Stays fresh (covered) in fridge for up to 4 days.