How to Make Homemade Mango Salsa

If you like mango salsa like you've had in restaurants and bought in the stores, then you'll LOVE your own home made mango salsa.  you can impress friends and family with this easy and tasty recipe! You can refrigerate it or can it to have in the winter! Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated.

Prepared this way, the jars have a shelf life of about 12 to 18 months, and aside from storing in a cool, dark place, require no special attention.

You may also be interested in How to make GREAT mango chutney!

Directions for Making and Canning Mango Salsa

Ingredients and Equipment

Recipe and Directions

Step 1 - Selecting the mangoes

Choose ripe, mature fruit of ideal quality for eating fresh or cooking. They should not be mushy, but they also should not be rock hard: just as ripe as you would eat them fresh.  You can also use solid green mangoes. Select firm, non-fibrous fruit. Caution: Handling green mangoes may irritate the skin of some people in the same way as poison ivy. (They belong to the same plant family.)  (see this page for more information) To avoid this reaction, wear plastic gloves while working with raw green mango. Do not touch your face, lips or eyes after touching or cutting green mangoes until all traces are washed away. 

Step 2 - How many mangoes and where to get them

You can pick your own, or buy them at the grocery store.  But for large quantities, you'll find that Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's seem to have the largest mangoes and best prices.

Step 3 - Wash the jars and lids

This is a good time to get the jars ready! The dishwasher is fine for the jars - put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes. I just put the lids in a small pot of almost boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" (available from WalMart, Target, and sometimes at grocery stores) to pull them out.

Step 4 -Wash the mangoes!

I'm sure you can figure out how to wash the mangoes in plain cold or lukewarm water.

Step 5 - Peeling the Mangoes

Green mangoes are fairly firm, so a regular vegetable peeler works pretty well. This is probably the most tedious step of the process, though. 

Step 6 - Cut up the mangoes

Cut out any brown spots and mushy areas. Slice the mangoes in 1/4 thick slices! It just takes practice to figure out where the pit is.  the pit is sort of flat, rather than egg-shaped, so you'll get more flesh of some parts of the mango than others. 

Then chop the mango slices up into ¼ to ½-inch cubes.

Step 7 - Add the spices

To the 6 cups of diced mangoes, add the spices:

Step 8 - Cook the mango salsa

Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and mix the spices. Reduce to simmering, and simmer 5 minutes.  We don't want to overcook this!

Step 9 - Fill the jars

Wipe rim and screw threads with a clean damp cloth. Add lid, screw band and tighten firmly and evenly. Do not over tighten.

Step 10 - Process the jars in the water bath

Put the sealed jars in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling. Boil them for at least 20 minutes (and no more than 30 min).

Step 11 - Remove and cool

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight), here they won't be bumped. You can then remove the rings if you like.

Mangoes, pears and apples may also show a blue, red or pink color change after canning. This is the result of natural chemical changes that sometimes occur as fruits are heated. It is harmless and won't affect flavor!

Also, avoid storing canned food near heat sources such as a furnace, water heater, hot water or sunny areas. Jars need to be kept cool and dark for longer storage life and to protect against spoilage. Be sure to store in a dry place. If the lid or band rusts, that can cause the seal to break.

You salsa will probably be darker in color than this.  It depends upon how much spice you use and how long you cook it.

 

Other Equipment: From left to right: Jar lifting tongs          helpful to pick up hot jars Lid lifter          - to remove lids from the pot          of hot water  Lid         - disposable - you may only         use them once Ring        - holds the lids on the jar until after       the jars cool - then you don't need them Canning jar funnel       - to fill the jars
Frequently asked questions!

Home Canning Kits Features: * All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set! * Complete with 21 1/2 qt. enameled waterbath canner and "Ball Blue Book" of canning. * Also includes canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrencher, bubble freer, tongs and lid lifter. * A Kitchen Krafts exclusive collection. This is the same type of  standard canner that my grandmother used to make everything from mangoes to jams and jellies to tomato and spaghetti sauce!. This complete kit includes everything you need: the canner, jar rack, jar grabber tongs, lid lifting wand, a plastic funnel, labels, bubble freer, and the bible of canning, the Ball Blue Book. You'll never need anything else except more jars and lids! Features: * All the tools you need for hot waterbath canning - in one comprehensive set! * Complete with 21 1/2 qt. enameled waterbath canner and "Ball Blue Book" of canning. * Also includes canning rack, funnel, jar lifter, jar wrencher, bubble freer, tongs and lid lifter. * A Kitchen Krafts exclusive collection.  Average Customer Review: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Deluxe Food Strainer & Sauce Maker D220-DLXRetail: $89.95Our price: $69.00 Availability: Usually ships the next business day. Click here for more information, other strainers and supplies or to order! With the Deluxe Food Strainer/Sauce Maker, you can make creamy mango sauce and smooth tomato sauce without having to peel and core! This multi-use strainer forces food through a stainless steel screen, automatically separating the juice and pulp from the seeds, shins, and stems. Perfect for purees, creamed soups, baby foods, pie filling, juices, jams, and more. Save time, effort, and money by preparing your own tasty sauces to be used immediately or boiled for future use. Do bushels with ease and in a fraction of the time. Includes the tomato/mango screen with easy twist on design and instruction/recipe booklet. The Deluxe model comes with the standard Tomato/mango Screen; as well as the Berry Screen, Pumpkin Screen, and Grape Spiral. Note

Can't find the equipment?  We ship to all 50 states! Call 770-263-8700

This page was updated on 10-May-2008

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