Winter meals can sometimes feel a bit heavy or dull, but this vibrant Persimmon Salsa is here to perk things up! With its jewel-like colors and bright flavors, it’s a refreshing way to add some zing to your favorite dishes. This is the perfect little something to zhoosh up a simple poached chicken or dollop its sunshiny goodness on some salmon. You will find a million uses for it, not including just devouring it with some chips so let’s get into it!
Persimmons come in two main varieties: fuyu and hachiya. Fuyu persimmons, with their squat, tomato-like shape, are perfect for eating fresh—they’re sweet and firm, even when they are picked straight from the tree and rock hard. Hachiya persimmons, on the other hand, are more oblong and need to be fully ripe (practically pudding-soft) to lose their astringency. Once they are ripe, you can actually eat them out of hand with a spoon. When buying persimmons, look for plump, unblemished fruit in a deep orange hue. Avoid those that look pale or even a little greenish and they should be firm or give a little, not mushy soft. If you are buying the pointy Hachiya type, let it fully ripen on your countertop rather than buying it soft.
Both types are popular in Japan, where persimmons have been cultivated for centuries and are considered a symbol of autumn. In fact, they’re so prized that they often given as gifts and written about in haiku. Across Asia, persimmons are beloved too; in Korea, they’re enjoyed as sun-dried treats called gotgam or made into punch, while in China, they’re celebrated in savory dishes and desserts alike.
My husband loves persimmons, particularly the fuyu variety, and eats an embarrassing quantity of them. We order them by the case, not even a Costco box, but a wholesale case, which is about 20 pounds. And he can knock them out in about couple weeks, with a little help :) Needless to say, our house is a sea of orange this time of year. In fact, his love is so great, he even has his sister mail us an annual box of homegrown ones from California, which is where most of the US crop originates. With an overabundance of persimmon in the house, I decided that now is the time to try something new and different, hence this Persimmon Salsa.
Fuyu persimmons (courtesy of my sister-in-law) on the left, hachiya on the right.I start making my persimmon salsa by finely chopping all the ingredients. This is an easy and fast recipe, but it’s a good time to practice those knife skills. We want it all uniformly diced so you can get a little of everything in each bite.
Once the persimmon is diced, I move on to the shallots. I’ve been loving the elongated French shallots at grocery stores lately, but if you can’t find a large one use two smaller ones.
Mince your herbs well too:
While persimmon salsa is best the day it’s made, you can leave it in the fridge up a couple days. Taste and re-season as needed. Also, I would wait to add the fried shallots though until just before serving so they retain their crunch.
Make sure to give everything a good stir before serving:
This persimmon salsa happens to be an excellent accompaniment to lots of holiday items; it’s a perfect condiment for roast duck or turkey, and would get along swimmingly with a Christmas ham. And look how beautiful it looks!
I can’t wait to hear how you use it, drop a note and let me know. And of course tag us in your pics @funkyasiankitchen, we love hearing from you!
Persimmon Salsa
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: condiments
- Cuisine: pan-Asian
Ingredients
- 3 ripe but firm fuyu persimmon, peeled and finely diced
- 1 large shallot, trimmed and finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons neutral oil
- Juice from 1 lemon
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons chopped mint
- 1 Tablespoon fried shallots (available at Asian grocery stores)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Stir to dissolve the salt.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Refrigerate persimmon salsa until ready to use.
Notes
*This is salsa is best the day it’s made, but can hang out in the fridge for a couple days. It will release more liquid as it sits. Taste and re-season if needed.
Keywords: persimmon, salsa, snacks, condiments
