Grilled Pineapple Salsa with Avocado

This avocado and grilled pineapple salsa is the perfect balance of sweet, tart, and spicy. Fresh California Avocados are mixed with grilled pineapple, onion, chilies, and cilantro. You won’t believe how simple this one is to make. Jump Straight to the Recipe

This post is sponsored by Gourmet Garden. I have received compensation and product for creating this recipe. All opinions are my own, and I only work with brands I love and feel will be useful for my readers.

GRILLED PINEAPPLE SALSA WITH AVOCADO

Nine years ago, almost to the day, was the last time I made pineapple salsa. The occasion? A baby shower for my best friend in the whole wide world. The mission? Make a killer taco bar for a few dozen people. The mistake? Gloves…or rather the lack of gloves.

Everything was going great. Joshua and I drove down to San Diego to help throw a “Backyard Baby Beer Bash & Barbecue” for my bestie. Heather was just two months shy of her due date, and we were so ready for our little Ruby to make her appearance, but not before one last shindig. This was to be our last trip down before I returned for Ruby’s birth. We planned to stay a few extra days to hang out and do some scuba diving.

My menu was well underway. With meats marinating, sides done, and Rene manning the barbecue, all I had to do on the day of the party were the salad, the guacamole, and the salsas. I juiced pounds upon pounds of limes, picked fresh cilantro from the garden, minced the garlic, diced the onions, chopped the tomatoes and the fruits, and somewhere in there, I did the chilies. A lot of chilies including some habañeros for the fruit salsa.

By the time the first guests arrived, my hands were aflame. I started out by taking some Tylenol. As the heat intensified, I moved on to Ibuprofin. Still, the pain got worse with each passing moment. Not one to bring down a party, I researched every home remedy on the internet. I tried sugar, oil, milk, and yogurt. Still, it got worse. I decided beer might help. It dulled the pain slightly, so someone had the brilliant idea that if beer was good, Mezcal would be better. And what do you know, the Mezcal did the trick. Now, I’m not a big drinker, never have been. But every time the pain came back, I just took another sip, and “boom” it was gone.

Unfortunately, I was also gone. I don’t even remember the end of the party, but let’s just say I was glad there was a bed for me at the end of the night.

The next morning, I woke up with still burning hands and a pounding head. No time for feeling sorry for myself though, I was about to embark on my first wreck dive off the coast of San Diego! We were so excited to dive the Ruby E. It seemed so appropriate considering we were anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little Ruby.

As I walked the dock on my way to the dive boat, I felt the first inklings that I might be in trouble. Though I’ve got good sea legs and rarely suffer from sea sickness, that morning was something else entirely. Queasy from the rocking of the dock, I shook off my doubts, smiled at the captain and asked for permission to come aboard. That may have been my last smile of the day.

As luck would have it, we had rough seas. Though only a mile from the dock, our journey seemed endless and it was all I could do to keep my breakfast while putting on my gear. When we dropped anchor, I entered the water and started to make my way to the bow line with my stomach getting sicker with each stroke.

Holding onto the line, I signaled to Joshua that I was ready to descend. I put my reg in my mouth and didn’t get more than 5 feet down before I had to call the dive. How can I put this delicately? Let’s just say, getting sick while trying to breathe underwater is pretty much impossible.

I told Joshua to go on ahead with the people behind us, and I swam back to the boat. I remained on deck with the captain and first mate for the rest of the trip. After some candied ginger and salty tales from the crew, I was feeling well enough to laugh at my own misery. I think I was laughing even as I spent the rest of the trip “looking” over the gunnel into the deep blue sea.

Though I absolutely adore fruit salsas like this strawberry rhubarb salsa, nectarine salsa, and this yellow plum salsa, I have not brought myself to make pineapple salsa since that fateful day. Then the other day, I walked past some very ripe pineapples at the market. The smell was so fragrant and tropical, and I immediately had a craving for pineapple salsa. I looked at the onions and avocado already in my cart, I knew what had to happen.

At home, I sliced open that pineapple and threw it on the grill. I got to work on the onion, chilies, and avocado, and since my homegrown cilantro isn’t quite ready to be harvested, yet, I happily used the lightly dried cilantro from Gourmet Garden and saved a bit on prep work, too. After waiting nearly nine years for this pineapple salsa, I have to say, it was worth it.