Salsa de Piña (Charred Pineapple and Habanero Salsa)

Ingredients

1 pineapple

1 small white onion

3 tomatillos, husked

2 habanero chiles, destemmed

1 lime, halved

Salt, to taste

½ cup chopped cilantro

⅓ cup olive oil

Directions

Remove the skin of the pineapple. Slicing from top to bottom, cut the pineapple into three equal slabs, with the middle slab containing the pineapple’s core. Cut each slab lengthwise into three batons, discarding the one containing the core. You should end up with 8 relatively equal slices. Reserve half for the salsa, and store the rest to enjoy later.

Slice the top and bottom off of the onion, peel, then cut the remaining section crosswise into two equal halves.

Heat a comal over medium-high heat. Add 4 pineapple batons, the onion, tomatillos, and habanero chiles. Cook, turning as needed, until nicely charred on all sides.

Place the habaneros in a molcajete with the juice of ½ lime and a generous pinch of salt. Mash into a paste.

Dice the charred onion and add to the molcajete, grinding until you achieve a rustic texture. Dice the pineapple and add ¾ of it to the molcajete (reserving the remaining ¼), roughly mashing. Quarter the tomatillos, add them to the molcajete, and mash until you get a coarse salsa.

Stir in the reserved diced pineapple slab along with the chopped cilantro.

Add olive oil and mix well to emulsify. Season with more salt and lime juice if needed.