Fresh Mexican Salsa (Salsa Mexicana Cruda)

Tasty, versatile and can be prepared in a matter of minutes.

Great with all kinds of Mexican food, especially as a topping for Mexican style beans with some sour cream, in wraps, or as a side dish for spicy meat and fish dishes, like my Yucatecan-Spiced Chicken Skewers.

I prefer to chop my tomatoes by hand, but like to throw all of the other ingredients into the food processor for a quick blitz to save on time, then just stir everything together and garnish with a few extra coriander leaves.

Serves four, 17 calories per serving.

Chayote and Lime Salsa or Slaw

A quick and easy recipe for a salsa or a slaw, depending on how you cut the ingredients!

Great with fish or chicken - especially if it's spicy, or in Mexican style wraps or tacos.

And a great way to have a go at using a new ingredient you might not have tried before - more about the chayote/mirliton/choko/christophene here!

Serves four in wraps as a topping (e.g. 8 regular-sized tortillas) for 18 calories per serving; or two as a side for 36 calories per serving.

Roasted Tomato Salsa with Chipotle and Jalapeño Chillies

Don't be afraid of the chipotle or jalapeño chillies - there are easily sourced ingredients or substitutes, and it's not too hot a salsa, honest!

This is a healthy salsa I put together to go with some fish tacos - it would also be great with either fish (such as sea bass, cod or tuna) or grilled chicken, in a wrap, as a dip, or even in a sandwich with some cream cheese!

Serves four to eight, 24 to 49 calories per portion (depending on whether between four or eight). We made it for four people (to go inside eight tacos) and had half leftover when we'd finished.

Mango, Red Pepper and Coriander Salsa

Fruity and Fresh, Zingy and Zesty...

This simple salsa with a kick is really versatile - I love it with either spicy or plain grilled, griddled or barbequed chicken, pork or fish - for me it's usually Cajun-spiced chicken, which is one of my staple go-to foods when I want something quick and tasty. It's not much to look at in a bowl on its own, but adds a splash of vibrant colour served alongside grilled meat or fish with a leafy salad and some coconut rice or home-baked potato wedges.

Oh, and if I'm in a rush, or I want to avoid making my eyes water later (you know, when you rub them after chopping up chillies), I sometimes like to throw in a teaspoon of my salted chillies instead of a fresh chilli, which gives a really interesting dimension to the salsa.

It will only take a couple of minutes to make, and you can eat it straight away, or the next day (if you don't add oil or salt, the coriander won't wilt particularly either, and the peppers and onions will stay crunchy, so it will still look and taste pretty fresh if you keep it in the fridge).

This quantity serves four as a small side, for 37 calories per person.