Feijoa and papaya salsa

 

Hope everyone had a beautiful weekend! Here is some tropical-inspired food to go with our near tropical weather.

I haven’t had feijoa (a kind of guava relative) in a long time, and when I saw them this month, the sweet-tangy taste immediately came back to me. Feijoa also makes for a killer jam but, unfortunately, I didn’t have enough to make that too.

You’ll need:

  • 1 large papaya
  • 2 feijoa fruit (they come in all sizes)
  • 1 red chile pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 T chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 T walnut oil

1. Check feijoas for ripeness first – they should be green, smooth, and relatively firm, with a little give. Cut them in half and scoop out flesh, which will be very pale, into a bowl. Mix to combine with chiles and onions.

2. Cut the papaya in half, core, and do what I call the ‘avocado dice’ – score the flesh of the fruit into squares with your paring knife, then scoop out with a spoon into your serving bowl.

3. Dress with lemon juice and walnut oil, top with cilantro, and mix to combine.

This salsa is very multi-purpose: it is delicious with fish and crustaceans, as a fun dip, a taco bar addition, or a salad topper.

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15 Comments

  1. where did you find feijoas? I have never seen them out there we used to grow them at home.. I am desperate to make feijoa icecream.. This salsa looks gorgeous, but I would lock all the doors and sit down and eat them with a spoon! c

    1. They are quite a NZ thing, aren’t they, C? I got them at a market (they don’t grow locally though, obviously). I think melissas.com may have some if you have a craving!

  2. Feijoa, wow! Love the name and I can just tell its an exotic fruit, perfectly paired with papaya. As for (coriander) one of my favourites I’d eat with most things if I could! Perfect summer flavours, I love the versatility of this for fish or meats too!