12 Surprising Salsa Ingredients to Try This Summer

Salsa might be America's top-selling condiment, and it turns out you can chop up pretty much any delicacy and turn it into a refreshing dip. (See: dragon fruit salsa.) In honor of National Salsa Month, we’re scooping up the most interesting options.

1. CHERRIES

The fruit is the, er, cherry salsa on top of this pork fajita recipe from EatingWell. Mix the (pitted and chopped) spheres with cilantro, lime juice, onion, and chipotle pepper to create a smoky blend.

2. DRAGON FRUIT

The exotic fruit—grown in Southeast Asia, Mexico, Central and South America, and Israel—makes for an unexpected dressing in this Food Network dish. Simply dice, combine with chives and lemon juice and drizzle over seared scallops.

3. CRAB

Chef Michael Symon folds the seafood with shallots, cilantro, bell peppers, jalapeño, and chopped roasted almonds. Then, in lieu of tortillas, he serves his creation up with thick-cut potato chips.

4. STRAWBERRIES

Douse the fruit with balsamic vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, and lemon zest (see this recipe from the blog She Wears Many Hats) to create a sweet dressing that can be scooped up with pita chips or served atop ice cream.

5. VODKA

Skip the margaritas and simply spike your food with this dish from the Food Network Kitchen. The Bloody Mary guajillo salsa blends spicy guajillo chiles with tomato, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce and, of course, the booze. Serve it with celery sticks!

6. BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Dice the fall veggie, then toss with black beans, green onions, and spices. Tina Verrelli, who created the dish for a Better Recipes contest, suggests using it as a filling inside a taco shell or between two tortillas to create a quesadilla.

7. PLANTAINS

The tropical fruit sweetens up this Food Network recipe. Chop up two and mix them into a medley of scallions, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeño and Serrano chiles.

8. WATERMELON

This low-calorie (just 26 calories per half cup!) EatingWell dish combines diced seedless watermelon with jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and red onion to create a spicy-and-sweet dip that works with tortilla chips or atop grilled chicken.

9. SHRIMP

A pound of the seafood is the star of this recipe from Taste of Home. Chop it up along with some tomatoes, avocados, sweet red pepper, green onions, cucumber, and a seeded jalapeño pepper. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice.

10. KIWI

The fruit combines with seeded cantaloupe, seeded cucumber, green onion, jalapeños, and mint in this recipe published in Bon Appetit. Creators Joan and David Oswalt suggest serving it with baked ribs or sautéed shrimp.

11. PERSIMMON

Blend two cups of the sweet orange fruit with chopped onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice to create this dip from the blog Stetted. Use it as a meat marinade or serve with chips.

12. POMEGRANATE

The fruit’s high-fiber seeds combine with cilantro, red onion, jalapeño, avocado, cantaloupe, and goji berries to make a healthy dish touted by Self magazine.

All images via iStock.