Nectarine & Mango Salsa

I have not eaten anywhere near enough stone fruit this season so am stocking up while I still have the chance. My favourite are white nectarines which seem to only come as rock hard or 'eat me now or tomorrow I will be brown'. So as well as 'au naturale', I have been brûléeing like mad to top Pavlova, yoghurt and ice cream; and now with a warm day I am breaking out the salsa. Sweet and chilli hot salsa goes beautifully with all summer foods - as a nibble with poppadums for a gathering, alongside a piece of grilled fish or with that addictive warm salty squeaky cheese haloumi.

So easy to make, just chop and assemble, the key is the quality of your nectarine. Your nectarine should be ripe but still firm, not soft at all or you will have brown salsa which isn't as appealing. It's hard to know what the interior of your nectarine will be like until you cut it but if you walk past the nectarine display and are hit with the heady sweet perfume of ripe nectarine then that's a pretty good start. If they don't smell then they are probably not ripe or in season. If you can get freestone nectarines it makes the world of difference in getting out the seed without severely squashing your nectarine into mush.

Ingredients:

• 3 white nectarines, freestone
• 1 mango
• 2 long green chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (or qty to taste)
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• large handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• juice of 1 lime
• 'glug' of olive oil (go by feel on this one)
• flaked salt, to taste

Method:

1. cut the nectarines in half and remove the stone, chop the flesh into roughly even chunks (approx 1 cm) place in bowl, cover with the lime juice (this will help stop them browning quickly)
2. remove the mango cheeks and score the flesh in 1 cm squares to the skin, using a spoon, scoop out the squared flesh into the bowl with the nectarines. Cut as much flesh as possible from the pit (if you are like me you will then chew on the pit over the sink to get any remaining mango... then wash your hands and continue) 
3. add the finely chopped chillies (if you like real heat leave the seeds in), onion and coriander
4. dress with white balsamic, olive oil and salt
5. leave to rest for 20 mins, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, then serve!