Grilled Peach Salsa

Here's the deal. For the last several weeks our grocery store has been boasting bins full of juicy and perfectly ripe summer peaches. I've been snacking on them for a while now, and this weekend, I thought it might be fun to work them into a recipe.

Naturally, when I arrived to the store this weekend, I found the displays had been removed, and we were back to the typical firm peach... so I decided to pivot and turn lemons into lemonade. Or peaches into salsa as it were.

When I'm looking to incorporate fresh fruit into a dish, but find them a bit too firm or under-ripe, I turn to the grill. Grilling fruits like peaches, plums or pineapple helps to draw out the natural juices and sugars. For a summer dessert, I love to scoop ice cream over grilled fruit. But they also work well in savory dishes!

For this salsa, I swapped the typical tomatoes for grilled peaches. I enjoy salsa a bit chunky, so in this recipe, I puree half of the mixture and combine with the remaining diced and minced ingredients. This salsa would be beautiful over grilled salmon or spooned into chicken tacos. But it's also just perfect as a dip alongside a pile of tortilla chips.

Grilled Peach Salsa

Ingredients

· 3 large peaches

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

· 1 jalapeno, minced

· ¼ cup red onion, minced

· Juice of 3 limes

· 1 tsp agave

Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat.

Peel the peaches. Slice in half and remove the pits. Drizzle with olive oil. Place on the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes. Rotate the peaches 90 degrees and cook for another 3 minutes. Flip the peach halves and cook for another 3 minutes. Rotate again and cook for a final 3 minutes or until the peaches are fork tender. If the peaches are perfectly ripe, cut the cook-time in half.

Chop half of the peaches and add to the bowl of a food processor. Add half of the cilantro, jalapeno, and onions. Add the lime juice. Blend until smooth. Pour into a mixing bowl.

Dice the remaining peaches and add to the mixing bowl. Stir in the remaining cilantro, jalapeno, and onion. Add the agave. Taste the salsa and adjust the seasoning - add salt or agave as needed. Wrap in plastic or store in an air-tight container. Chill for 4-6 hours before serving.

Spoon over grilled chicken or fish. Or simply serve as a dip with tortilla chips.

Makes 2 cups

Gluten Free Friendly!