Fermented Pineapple Salsauce

by Martin Perkins

I sometimes get asked by my friends how to cook certain things so I'm going to have a go at writing down some of the food I cook. 

Expect lots of spelling mistakes, ingredient substitutes and honest appraisals of how my food turns out.

It wont be one of those where you have to read my life story about how this recipe was inspired by the stunning views over the Jamaican sunrise while enjoying a rum cocktail.

That’s right. Sunrise. That’s the time of day that the imaginary, Jamaica visiting version of myself drinks inspirational cocktails.

Anyway.

I will say is that making fermented things is always different because of all the variables at play – The warmth of your kitchen, the sweetness of the fruit, the spiciness of the chilis. So just taste it, concentrate very hard on the flavour, and add things small amounts at time until it tastes nice.

Here’s how you make Fermented Pineapple Salsauce. 

Ingredients:

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  • Fresh Pineapple. Keep some of the peel. (You can use tinned to buff it out if you want but make sure there is some fresh otherwise it’ll take forever to ferment)
  • Salt (sea salt is best)
  • Garlic. as much as you like garlic, 5 or 6 cloves probably
  • Hot Chilis, Scotch Bonnets are best. As many as you like. I like them a lot so I used a lot
  • Turmeric – 1 teaspoon
  • Ground Cumin – 1 teaspoon
  • Brown sugar – 1 tablespoon
  • Juice of 1/2 a lime
  • Apple cider/white/white wine vinegar – 10-25 mil

Equipment:

  • A jar to ferment everything in
  • Blender
  • A bowl
  • Gloves (or avoid touching yours or anybody else’s eyes and genitals for a while after doing this)
  1. Chop the pineapple, garlic, chilis and whatever else you want to put in it.
  2. Weight all that stuff.
  3. Weigh out 2% of that weight in salt. (it’ll be about 1.5 teaspoons).
  4. Mix salt with all your chopped things. Let it sit for 10 mins to draw out the moisture.
  5. Stuff it all in a jar including all the drawn out moisture. Add a slice or two of the peel (it’s got lots of the live bacteria on its surface that helps the fermentation get going).
  6. Really pack it down into the jar.
  7. If the solids aren’t all submerged, add some water so it is.
  8. If it’s really struggling to stay under water, use the end of the pineapple rind to bung it down.
  9. Cover lightly so gas can escape but not too much air comes in. If CO2 builds up, you’ll make a mess when it forces its way out. If using a swing top jar, just take the rubber seal off so it can let the C02 out.
  10. Leave it to ferment for a few days (between three and seven) depending on how warm your kitchen is. Check it daily for bubbles/burp it if using an air tight container.
  11. When its nice and fizzy, strain it off using a sieve – reserving the liquid.
  12. Liquidise it, being careful not to leave the blade running for so long it gets warm (this might kill all the good lacto-fermented bacteria which is good for you and keeps it from going off.)
  13. Add the brine back in according to your desired consistency.
  14. Add a teaspoon or so of turmeric to give it a nice yellow hue.
  15. Add a teaspoon or so of cumin for depth of flavour
  16. Add the lime. Add more if you love lime.
  17. Add a little sugar and vinegar to balance, adding a little at a time until it tastes well rounded.
  18. Jar and fridge it.
  19. Eat.

Check out It’s Alive by Bon Apétit for more stuff on fermentation.

Tip: If it starts to get a weird white film on the top, don’t worry it’s just a harmless fungus. Just skim it off and throw it away and it’ll be fine. Don’t be one of those people.

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