Mix up fresh citrus for this super salsa

This versatile salsa is like a bite of winter sunshine. And for the backyard farmer, it makes the most of what you’ve got.

Like many gardeners with home-grown citrus, I often end up with an assortment of (precious few) fruit. Small citrus trees yield harvests that I can count on my fingers. What do you do with a handful of kumquats?

It’s the kumquats that add something extra to this juicy mix; their edible skin give the salsa some extra crunch and zest.

For this batch, I used one orange, two mandarins and three kumquats to make the 1 cup chopped citrus. Grapefruit and tangerine work, too.

Chop the ingredients smaller if you plan to serve alongside chips. Otherwise, this citrus salsa makes a flavorful accompaniment to seafood, chicken, pork, steak or Southwestern fare such as steak tacos or pork enchiladas.

Citrus salsa

Makes about 1-1/2 cups

Ingredients:

1 cup mixed chopped citrus such as orange, mandarin, kumquat, tangerine or grapefruit

Juice of 1 lime, preferably Mexican lime

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons green onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions:

Prepare fruit. Peel and seed most citrus before chopping. Slice kumquats very thin, without peeling; discard seeds.

In a medium bowl, mix together lime juice, olive oil, red and green onion, cilantro, red pepper flakes, white pepper and garlic salt. Add chopped citrus; toss gently.

Refrigerate for 1 hour or more to let flavors meld. It’s best served within one day.

Serve with chips, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, etc., or as an accompaniment to seafood, pork, chicken or steak.