strawberry salsa in a white bowl with limes, strawberries, a red onion, and cinnamon chips in the background.

Strawberry Salsa for the Win?

February 5, 2026 Spoonful

— By Alex Gayton

I have some exciting news to share: I recently filmed two new Mainely Dish recipe videos! We spent the day making Strawberry Salsa and Baked Cinnamon Tortilla Chips. The edits are still in the works, but stay tuned for their official release.

My favorite part of this filming day was having company in the kitchen. My coworker Emily and two EFNEP student employees, Ethan and Grace, were able to experience the behind-the-scenes of how Mainely Dish videos are filmed and how I set up the studio to take photos of the finished food product. Of course, the best part of every filming day is getting to taste test at the end.

Why I Was Skeptical

When I chose to make the Strawberry Salsa recipe, I was a little suspicious. If you’ve followed my recipe-focused blogs, you know I can be a bit picky. I usually avoid “heat” in my food, and I am overly sensitive to foods I think have heat. So the raw red onions and jalapeño peppers, which make up almost half the ingredients, had me skeptical that I’d like it. Plus, I’m one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap. To make it work for me, I opted to swap the cilantro for fresh mint.

We Have a Winner

So was this Strawberry Salsa a win or not? I am going to be honest, the onion taste was overpowering the strawberry flavor for me, but two of the other taste testers loved it and couldn’t get enough of it! I would consider this a win. Everyone’s tastebuds are different and you might surprise yourself with the strawberry and onion combination.

The Web Editor’s Opinion

Hi Emily here (Spoonful Blog’s web editor). I absolutely loved this recipe, I’m obsessed, and I couldn’t get enough of it! I even called dibs on taking the leftovers home and finished them the next day.

Tips for the Next Batch

Here are two things I learned from making this recipe:

  • Ingredient size – I recommend chopping the red onion very finely. We used a hand chopper for the strawberries and a knife for the onion, which resulted in different sizes. A smaller dice on the onion will help get a more balanced flavor in each bite without one ingredient overpowering the others.
  • Texture – if you prefer a chunkier salsa that isn’t as juicy, cut your strawberries into slightly larger pieces.

Overall, I think this recipe was a success. It’s fresh, colorful, and perfect to pair with Baked Cinnamon Tortilla Chips. Give it a try and customize the recipe to fit your taste preference!

Resources

Author

white woman with wavy blonde hair, smilingAlex Gayton, MS, RD is a registered dietitian (RD) and has been with UMaine Extension since January 2020. Alex is a supervisor and the social media coordinator for the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program’s (EFNEP) Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok pages. She also is the creator of the Mainely Dish recipe video series. Alex loves food photography, baking, and cooking plant-based meals!