Cinco de Mayo Week 2016: Fresh Fruit with Chili Lime Seasoning

C – I never thought I would like chili on my fruit …

but, it’s become my new addiction. When I was a kid, my family would go to the Mexican farmers’ market. The vendors always had samples of freshly cut fruit and would sprinkle a chili powder over top. I always avoided the ones with the spice mix. I just never gave it a try.

I was amused that it was hot and spicy. I always questioned why people would eat spicy things with sweet fruit.

Now, as an adult, I think I would have told my 10-year-old self to give it a try. Maybe that chili spice mix isn’t spicy at all. Maybe that mix just adds to the flavor of the fruit. It makes sense now.

Any fruit that isn’t fully ripe could use the help of a chili lime mix. Any fruit that is already sweet could gain an added complex, intense flavor. It’s a pretty genius selling tactic.

I love this stuff. I usually buy an already made brand called Tajin, but I read the ingredient label and noticed there were a lot of added preservatives. So, I decided to make it myself with just three ingredients. You only need a tamed chili powder, some salt and lime.

It’s not quite the same a the Tajin powder because of the artificial lime flavor. It is still a great mix. The fresh lime makes the mix taste a lot different. I think it’s better. It still makes the fruit pop.

Cinco de Mayo Week 2016: Fresh Fruit with Chili Lime Seasoning

Recipe type: Desserts

Author: Christina

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: Depends on fruit

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp chili powder, not spicy. We used New Mexica Molido, ground regular chili powder.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lime
• Fruits of your choice; watermelon, mango, papaya and jicama work best

Instructions

1. Place chili powder and salt in a small mixing bowl. Mix well.
2. Zest ½ of the lime peel into the mixing bowl. Add more to taste. Mix well.
3. Squeeze lime juice over the pieces of cut fruit. Sprinkle chili seasoning over the fruit.
4. Serve.
5. Enjoy!

3.1.08

I really loved it on the mangoes the I bought. They weren’t quite ripe, yet. It helped bring out the sweetness in the fruit.

If your tired of just eating fruit, or if your fruit isn’t quite ripe and you accidentally cut into it, sprinkle on some chili powder, salt and lime. It may make the fruit taste a lot better.