My aunt Martha swears that this smoky, sweet, tropical salsa takes her back to Yucatán no matter where she is when she makes it. It works especially well with Cilantro Tandoori Chicken, but it will enhance any grilled fish or meat. If the grill's fired up, throw the pineapple right on it; a grill pan will do just fine if you're cooking indoors.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 2 1/2 cups

　　1/2 ripe but firm pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

　　1/2 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and diced

　　1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

　　Pinch of sugar, or to taste

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Prepare a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat.

　　

Step 2

Grill the pineapple slices for 2 minutes per side, or until tender and grill-marked. Transfer the slices to a cutting board and chop them. Put the chopped pineapple in a medium bowl and stir in the cilantro, serrano chile, and lime juice. Season the salsa to taste with sugar, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.

　　Reprinted with permission from Fresh Mexico: 100 Recipes for True Mexican Flavor by Marcela Valladolid, © 2011 Clarkson Potter a division of Random House, Inc.Marcela Valladolid is the host of Discovery Travel and Living's Relatos con Sabor (Stories with Flavor), which airs in every Latin American country and on Discovery Familia in the United States. Raised in Tijuana, Mexico, she attended the Los Angeles Culinary Institute and later the Ritz-Escoffier Cooking School in Paris. A former recipe editor/tester at Bon Appétit magazine, she became widely known after appearing as a contestant on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart. She and her young son divide their time between Tijuana and San Diego.