Name: Jala-Mango Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients: 1 ripe mango cut in 1/2" cubes; 1 1/2 cups pineapple, coarsely chopped; 1/4 cup red onion, sliced paper-thin; 1 lime, juice only; 2 jalapenos, skinned, seeded and minced; 8 basil leaves, shredded; 5 shakes hot sauce

Why it works: Mango and lime match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 506 recipes. Both carry alpha-pinene, which smells pine, turpentine. The science ↓

Jala-Mango Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

1 ripe mango cut in 1/2" cubes
1 1/2 cups pineapple, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red onion, sliced paper-thin
1 lime, juice only
2 jalapenos, skinned, seeded and minced
8 basil leaves, shredded
5 shakes hot sauce

Directions

Toss ingredients together gently in a bowl and serve immediately.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

249Calories

4 gProtein

1 gFat

63 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Mango	1 cup diced (165g)	99
Pineapple	1 cup chunks (165g)	82
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Lime	juice of 1 lime (44ml)	11
Chili	1 tsp (2.7g)	8
Jalapeno	1 pepper (14g)	4
Basil	5 leaves fresh (2.5g)	1

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Mango + limetop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together506 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Mango + pineappletop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together224 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, sweet).
Lime + jalapenotop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,035 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Lime + basiltop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together505 recipes

Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Pineapple + limetop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together469 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Mango: Provides sweetness and soft, juicy body to the salsa.
Pineapple: Adds sweet, tangy juiciness and a bit of acidity.
Red onion: Adds sharp, pungent bite that cuts through the sweet fruit.
Lime: Its juice adds acidity that brightens the fruit and balances sweetness.
Jalapenos: Provide heat and a fresh, vegetal bite.

The step that matters

Serve immediately. Acid from the lime juice and salt-free fruit juices keep softening and releasing liquid over time, so the cubes lose their texture and the salsa becomes watery. Serving soon after tossing keeps the fruit firm and the onion crisp.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (mango, pineapple, lime, jalapeno, basil, sauce):

Capsicumfits better
Tomatofits better
Lettucefits better
Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against mango, pineapple, lime, jalapeno, basil, sauce. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Jala-Mango Pineapple Salsa