Mango Corn Salsa

Recipe features

• Use fresh or thawed frozen mango for this easy recipe!
• It's dairy-free, gluten-free, plant-based, and oil-free!
• It uses simple ingredients!
• It's refreshing and can add a burst of flavor to your favorite dishes!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The recipe uses simple ingredients, but please see the recipe card below for the full list and exact measurements.

Mango - One and a half cups of diced ripe mango are needed for the recipe.  I get roughly 1 ½ cups of diced mango from 1 large fresh mango, by using the cheeks and trimming off the excess off the pit.  Fresh or thawed frozen mango can be used. Instead of mango, try pineapple and corn salsa. 

Fresh ripe mango is delicious, but when you can't find one or they aren't in season, thawed frozen ripe mango will work.  Thaw about 2 cups of frozen mango.  When it thaws, it will reduce in size.  Thaw the frozen mango overnight in the refrigerator or try thawing it at room temperature.  

I wouldn't heat it in the microwave to thaw.  During testing, once it was stirred in the salsa, it started to disintegrate.  I didn't have this problem when I thawed it on the counter or in the fridge.  I use the liquid in the salsa that was left from thawing the mango, but if you have an excessive amount, it can be drained off.

I tried two different brands of frozen mango, and they worked with the salsa, but if the brand you normally buy becomes mushy once thawed, then stick to fresh mango. For more recipes with mango try, a mango kiwi smoothie or a cucumber mango smoothie.

Corn - I use Trader Joe's canned corn for convenience, plus it's delicious.  If corn is in season, fresh sweet corn would be delightful.  Cook it any way you prefer, but grilled fresh corn would add a lovely flavor.  Trim the cooked corn right off the cob and add it to the rest of the ingredients.

Frozen corn can also work, but I find it more bland than fresh or canned.  Thaw and drain well not to add too much excess liquid to the salsa.  If the frozen corn is lacking flavor, it can be seared in a pan for a few minutes until it starts to have char marks. 

Jalapeño pepper - Finely dice half of a seeded jalapeño.  For a little more heat, use the entire jalapeño and/or keep the seeds in, or try a Serrano pepper. 

Fresh cilantro - Use a ¼ cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro, then chop it.  If you don't like cilantro, it can be left out.  If you leave it out, you can try diced red onion, which is not a substitute for fresh cilantro, but it would add another flavor element that you would miss if you leave the cilantro out.

Garlic clove - Add one minced or crushed medium to large garlic clove to the mango salsa with corn.  Instead of garlic, try a ¼ cup of finely diced red onion for the recipe.  For leftover red onions, try spicy pickled onions.

Lime - Fresh is best, you'll need the zest of one lime and about 2 tablespoons of juice.

Tips  

• If your mango isn't ripe enough, it may be sour instead of sweet.  
• Zest the lime before juicing.
• Adjust the recipe to fit your taste preference.  Prefer more garlic or cilantro, add more.

Variations

Enjoy the mango salsa with corn as is, or try a different variation.

• Add a diced red bell pepper for a little crunch.
• Add a can of drained and rinsed black beans to pair with the juicy mango.
• Add diced avocado to add creaminess to the salsa.
• Try a dash of chili powder.
• Add diced cucumber similar to this recipe for pico de gallo with cucumber.
• Searing the corn in a pan until it starts to get char marks adds a wonderful flavor to the salsa. 

How to cut a mango

For smaller dice for a salsa, either use method 1 and after you have cubes, dice the cubes smaller, or use method 2.

Method 1 for how to cut a mango

1. Start by cutting off the two cheeks of the mango from the large pit in the middle of the mango.  The cheeks are the wide sides along the big oblong pit.  While running your knife down the sides of the mango, if you hit something hard, that's the pit.  No big deal, just try to cut a little further out.
2. Take each mango slice and slice through the flesh vertically and horizontally, creating squares.  Slice to the skin of the mango, but not through the skin.  
3. Flip the cheek inside out and trim off the cubes with a paring knife or a spoon.
4. Carefully trim what's left on the mango pit.  Use the pit as a guide, start from the top, and move your knife down the length of the mango to trim it off.
5. Then for those thinner side pieces, trim off the skin and dice the mango flesh.

Method 2 for how to dice a mango into small pieces

1. Peel the mango skin off.
2. Slice the cheeks off the mango, but instead of slicing a large piece, slice thinner slices off the oblong pit, 2-3 slices per side.
3. Then take one plank and slice it into thin strips, then slice it the other way for a small dice.
4. Trim off the thinner sides of the pit too.  Use the pit as a guide and trim from top to bottom.  Then dice it into small pieces.

Serving suggestions

The easy and fresh salsa can be added to grain bowls for added flavor, or enjoy it with chips.

• Tortilla chips
• Try it in a vegan taco bowl
• Add it to a burrito bowl
• Use it as a topping for lentil and walnut tacos
• A vegan mango and black bean rice bowl with sliced red bell peppers, spicy pickled onions, and avocado.

How to make a mango corn salsa

Start the recipe by dicing a mango into small bite-sized pieces.  Add it to a bowl with the drained corn.  Finely dice the jalapeño to be much smaller than your mango pieces.  Chop a ¼ cup of loosely packed fresh cilantro.  Use the leaves and the tender parts of the stems, not the woody parts of the stems.

Crush or mince 1 clove of garlic.  Zest one lime, then juice it.  Add the zest and 2 tablespoons of the juice, along with the rest of the ingredients, to the bowl with the mango and corn.

Taste and adjust for seasoning. Store in an airtight container for 2 days in the refrigerator.

Storage

Store the salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.  The freshness of the ingredients will impact how long the salsa will last.  I wouldn't recommend freezing it.

Frequently asked questions

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I hope you enjoyed the recipe.  If you did, feel free to rate it and leave a comment.