Name: Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Cuisine: mexican
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh rhubarb, thinly sliced*; 1/2 yellow bell pepper; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced**; 1 shallot, finely diced (or 1/4 cup white onion); 1/4 cup cilantro, diced; 1 cup strawberries, diced; juice of 1 lime; 1 tsp red wine vinegar; 1 tbsp honey; 2 cloves garlic, minced

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Upgrade your party game with one of the best rhubarb appetizers! You will love serving up this strawberry rhubarb salsa! It’s fresh, tangy and perfect with chips or on top of grilled chicken.

strawberry rhubarb salsa

If you’re not a fan of rhubarb, or you don’t THINK you’re a fan of rhubarb, don’t turn away yet! This strawberry rhubarb salsa might change your mind. You probably know rhubarb as being quite tangy, and while that’s very true, the strawberry in this salsa sweetens it up enough that there’s no mouth puckering! Plus, I’ve thrown in some jalapeno, so it’s got a nice little spice to it too.

I made this rhubarb salsa for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and posted in on my Instagram stories, and I got SO many questions and comments on it. I knew I had to perfect it and get it out to you guys asap!

Let’s talk salsa. Are you a store bought salsa fan or a fresh, pico de gallo kind of salsa lover? We as a family love both. I like having the store bought kind on hand for some recipes that might require it (hello, cheesy Mexican quinoa skillet) or for some emergency chip-and-dip situations, but I really, really love homemade, fresh salsa! I admit, I don’t make it often enough, but when I do we devour it. It basically becomes a meal!

So, in the midst of rhubarb season, I was struck with inspiration.

rhubarb salsa

What ingredients go into strawberry rhubarb salsa?

Other than the strawberries and rhubarb, you’ll need:

bell pepper (I use yellow, for that pop of color)
jalapeno pepper
shallot
cilantro
garlic
red wine vinegar
lime juice
honey

The amount of jalapeno pepper you put in the salsa will determine the level of spice it has. I usually add one whole pepper, with seeds removed, but if you really like things spicy, add the seeds as well or even increase the amount of pepper to 2.

Do you need to cook the rhubarb first?

You might be wondering if you will be adding fresh, raw rhubarb to the salsa, and if that will be unbearably tart?! Well, it would be, but you’re actually going to blanch the rhubarb first to remove a bit of the tartness, without turning it into mush.

To blanch the rhubarb, simply drop it into a pot of boiling water and cook it for only 1 minute, before rinsing it and plunging it into ice cold water to stop the cooking process. From there, you’ll drain the rhubarb and place it on a paper towel-lined plate to let all of the liquid release.

After 10-15 minutes, you can combine the rhubarb with the rest of the salsa ingredients and add the vinegar, lime juice, honey and minced garlic.

Stir it all together, then cover it and place it in the fridge for a couple of hours to let the flavors really mingle. If you can’t resist, you can totally dig in and just eat it right away, too! Honestly, I haven’t been able to wait most times that I’ve made this!! But it does taste better after a couple of hours.

Can you use frozen rhubarb?

Since I’ve only been making this recipe this year, using fresh rhubarb from the garden, I haven’t had a chance to try it from frozen. Frozen rhubarb does typically have much more liquid than fresh, so if you were to use frozen, I’d recommend thawing and then draining it thoroughly. I would assume you wouldn’t even need to blanch it after thawing it!

What do you serve strawberry rhubarb salsa with?

While the obvious choice would be tortilla chips, I’ve also put this salsa over grilled chicken and it was AMAZING! I also think this would be great in chicken or shrimp tacos. If you give it a try, let me know!

Also, you can’t forget the margarita, right?

Since my rhubarb plant has been producing like crazy for a while now, I’ve continuously been looking for ways to use it up. Let me tell you, this rhubarb salsa is a GREAT way to use it up!

rhubarb salsa

Some other appetizers and side dishes for summer that I think you’ll like:

Strawberry Rhubarb Salsa

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5 from 12 reviews

Author: Katherine | Love In My Oven
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 2 cups 1x

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Description

Upgrade your party game with one of the best rhubarb appetizers! You will love serving up this strawberry rhubarb salsa!

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups fresh rhubarb, thinly sliced*
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced**
1 shallot, finely diced (or 1/4 cup white onion)
1/4 cup cilantro, diced
1 cup strawberries, diced
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

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Instructions

Fill a small saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the sliced rhubarb to the pot and cook for 1 minute, before immediately removing from heat, draining, and plunging into a bowl of ice water for 1 minute. Drain the rhubarb, then lay it out on a paper towel to allow all of the liquid to release.
Combine together in a medium serving bowl, the drained rhubarb, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, shallot, strawberries and cilantro. Whisk together the lime juice, red wine vinegar, honey and minced garlic. Pour this liquid over the salsa and stir to combine. Refrigerate the salsa for 2-3 hours to allow the flavors to mingle, or serve immediately with chips.

Leftover salsa can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 day.