Fresh salsas are colorful condiments

SANTA MONICA, Calif.

Any time of year, colorful, textured salsas visually liven up table settings. Their bright flavors also add a whole range of top notes to the dishes they garnish.

Now is as good a time as any to review your salsa repertoire.

Confirm your old favorites; polish up the classics; and try out a bevy of spicy new ideas, ready for incoming seasons of bountiful produce and high-spirited taste.

Here are some fresh and piquant original recipes. Most are spectacularly successful with grilled fish. But they will complement a wide range of other dishes, from barbecued meats to vegetarian specials, as far as your imagination takes you.

The recipes, adapted for the home cook, are the creations of chefs working in five restaurants in Santa Monica that are rated in the Los Angeles Zagat survey in terms that range from "elegant" to "trendy" and "fun."

The salsas' flavor combinations include mango and mint, ginger and tomato, pepper and corn. Their effect is achieved with minimal cooking -- just be prepared to do loads of chopping and dicing of fresh vegetables, fruit, peppers and herbs.

Recipe directions tell you when to let the salsa mixture sit for a while to help flavors combine and evolve most fully. Most can easily be made ahead of time and benefit from it.

Allyson Thurber, executive chef at The Lobster, says she worked out her recipe for tomato-ginger salsa after she'd sampled some great Middle Eastern food and wanted to come up with a new mahi mahi dish.

"It was tomato season and I just started throwing stuff together. I knew I wanted spicy, so I ended up going with the sort of sweet-and-sour taste of a chutney. I don't know if this is a thought process, but it's how some things work in the kitchen -- trial and error," she said.

The salsa also works well with fresh Pacific swordfish, she added. "The swordfish is a full-flavored fish that can hold up to the strong flavors of the salsa. The sweet and tartness of the salsa really bring out the smokey flavor of grilled swordfish."

Roasted Tomato and Ginger Salsa

(From Allyson Thurber, executive chef, The Lobster restaurant)

5 Roma tomatoes

4 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 cup white wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1 teaspoon ground ginger

6 green onions, sliced thin (green part only)

1 small red onion, diced

Olive oil to coat tomatoes when roasting

Salt and pepper to taste

Cut tomatoes in half and season with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on sheet pan and brush lightly with olive oil. Roast in preheated 300 degree oven for 1 hour or until caramelized and soft. Allow to cool and remove skins; dice (medium-size).

Combine all other ingredients except red and green onions in a stainless steel saucepan, cook over medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes or until reduced to a syrup. Allow syrup to cool slightly; pour over tomatoes, add onions and combine. Allow to sit for 3 hours. Excellent served with grilled salmon or mahi mahi.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Chef Mario Alvarez, executive chef of Chez Jay restaurant, created a zippy mango salsa.

"The key to our mango salsa is great mangos with a fresh, fresh taste," he said. He finds Hawaii a reliable source for mangos -- "picking the right one is what makes this salsa so great."

He thinks the combination of tangy mango flavor, fresh mint and spicy jalapeno bring out the best in fish, and that the salsa "will make you ready for a trip to Hawaii and ready for summer."

Mango and Mint Salsa

(from Mario Alvarez, executive chef of Chez Jay restaurant)

3 large mangos, peeled and diced

1/4 cup tangerine juice

2 tablespoons fresh grapefruit juice

1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon plain rice vinegar

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced

2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

1 teaspoon finely ground fresh coriander seed

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh basil

In large, nonreactive bowl, place all ingredients and mix well. Let mixture macerate in bowl for 1 hour.

Very good served over fish such as ahi tuna, mahi mahi or swordfish.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

"Chirmol salsa is a staple in my hometown in Guatemala," says Emilio Cuyuch, executive sous-chef at the restaurant JiRaffe. It's a national favorite, he adds. "Fish, flat breads and even beef are served with chirmol salsa and every home has its own individual recipe and taste."

The word "chirmol" means "smashed tomatoes."

"My mom made it all the time and we would eat it on everything -- hot or cold," Cuyuch said. "The smashed tomato base is the key, with good, spicy jalapenos."

Here is his recipe:

Guatemalan Chirmol Salsa

(From Emilio Cuyuch, executive sous-chef at JiRaffe restaurant)

3 scallions

12 medium-size vine-ripened tomatoes

1 cup corn kernels

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoon olive oil

1 lime, juice only

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Grill scallions and chop. Grill tomatoes whole until soft; grill corn. (You may do the grilling by any method; it may be done ahead of time unless you wish to serve the salsa hot.) Combine tomatoes, scallions and garlic in a bowl and "smash," i.e. break up, tomatoes. Add olive oil, lime juice, grilled corn kernels, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt and pepper. Serve hot or cold over striped bass, swordfish or other white fish.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Pepper-Corn Salsa

(From Jean-Pierre Peiny, executive chef of L.A. Farm restaurant)

1 large red onion, diced

1/2 cup virgin olive oil

1 Anaheim chili, skinned seeded and diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded, grilled, skinned and diced

2 large red tomatoes, diced

2 large yellow tomatoes, diced

1 cup fresh kernel corn

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 limes, juiced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and diced

In large pan over medium-high heat, saute diced red onion in olive oil (adding as needed). After 2 minutes, add Anaheim and green bell peppers. Saute 2 more minutes and add tomatoes, corn, salt and pepper. Saute 2 additional minutes, remove from pan and place salsa in large container to cool. Leave in refrigerator for 3 hours. Before serving, add lime juice, chopped cilantro and jalapeno chili pepper. Ideal with grilled swordfish.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Pineapple and Mango Salsa

(From Gennaro Lopez, executive chef, Rebecca's restaurant)

1/2 pineapple, peeled and diced

2 large mangos, peeled and diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1/4 teaspoon seeded, finely diced serrano chili

1 teaspoon finely diced red onion

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon finely diced tomato

Place diced pineapple, mangos and bell peppers in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss, being careful not to bruise the pineapple and mango. Best served with fish such as salmon, swordfish or halibut.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.