Pineapple Recipes You Never Knew About
When you think of pineapple, you probably think of Hawaii — as well as juicy pineapple salsa on crispy tacos, tangy pineapple cheesecake, sweet and sour pineapple with pork chops, and so much more. You might add pineapple into your favorite fruit salad recipe or incorporate caramelized pineapple as a yummy side dish the next time you’re roasting chicken thighs. And who could forget pineapple fried rice?
If you’re a lover of fresh pineapple, but you aren’t sure how else to incorporate this tasty tropical fruit into your weeknight diet, check out this article. Everyone knows about the classic pineapple upside-down cake, but there’s no need to stick to the basics!
We’ll take you through some simple, delicious, easy pineapple recipes you never knew about that are sure to shine at any backyard BBQ or family dinner.
What Foods Pair Well With Pineapple?
Although there are an endless amount of foods that you could pair with pineapple, we’ve identified four that pair exceptionally well. In this article, we’ll look at all the different ways you can pair pineapple with ham, seafood, yogurt, and rum.
Ham and Pineapple
Although tropical fruit and meat might not immediately sound like a match made in heaven, we promise you they are! This section will provide you with easy recipes for pineapple-glazed ham and homemade crushed pineapple and ham pizza, also known as Hawaiian pizza.
Pineapple-Glazed Ham
If you’re looking to spice up your holiday ham with a tropical twist, try a pineapple glaze. To glaze your ham in pineapple, all you’ll need is a full ham, a fresh pineapple, two cans of pineapple juice, and a cup of brown sugar.
Slice your pineapple into ½ inch thick slices and place them on and around your ham on a baking sheet. You’ll want to bake your ham for about two hours. While it’s baking, mix the brown sugar and pineapple juice together over high heat. When there’s one hour and thirty minutes left, pour half the glaze over the ham.
Homemade Pineapple and Ham Pizza
Another tasty way to combine ham and pineapple is to make Hawaiian pizza! You can easily make this pizza at home with either store-bought or homemade dough.
Once your dough is ready, lather on a layer of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. From there, sprinkle ham and pineapple chunks generously. Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven. Don’t forget to let it cool before you dig in!
Seafood and Pineapple
If you’re looking for more savory pineapple recipes, check out this section for inspiration about incorporating seafood and pineapple into your upcoming dinners. In this section, we’ll take a look at a pineapple and shrimp noodles recipe and a salmon and grilled pineapple recipe.
Pineapple and Shrimp Noodles
You could take this classic stir fry in a lot of different directions, whether you want to go Thai-inspired or stick to other traditional flavors. Either way, this recipe packs a tropical flavor punch that you’re sure to love.
To make the perfect pineapple and shrimp noodles, you’ll need, as the name suggests, rice noodles, shrimp, and fresh pineapple. You’ll also need salt, tamari, fresh ginger, vegetable oil, pineapple juice, chili-garlic sauce, basil leaves, bell peppers, cucumbers, red onion, salted roasted peanuts, and lime wedges.
Once you have all your ingredients, cook the rice noodles. While they’re cooking, mix the shrimp and pineapple with salt, tamari, and ginger. Cook the pineapple in a hot skillet until browned, then do the same with the shrimp. In the same skillet, cook the pineapple juice and the chili-garlic sauce until they reduce to half. Remove the sauce from the heat, then add the pineapple, shrimp, and basil to the sauce.
Place your noodles in a bowl, then add the pineapple shrimp mixture with as much sauce as you’d like. Garnish with cucumber slices, onion, peanuts, and lime!
Salmon and Grilled Pineapple
If you’re a salmon lover, you’ve got to try it grilled with fresh fruit. Throwing pineapple on the grill gives it a stunning caramelized flavor that you’re sure to love.
All you need for this light, summery recipe are salmon filets, fresh pineapple, cilantro, and a sauce like a teriyaki sauce. To start, preheat your grill to around 350 degrees. Cut your pineapple into planks, and rinse your salmon dry. Once it’s dry, you’re ready to assemble.
Lay a plank of pineapple down with a sprig of cilantro on top. Place a salmon filet on top and brush some sauce on top. If you’d like, you can secure everything with cooking twine. Toss your salmon and pineapple on the grill for about five minutes, basting with sauce until the salmon is cooked through. Let it rest for another five minutes, then enjoy!
Yogurt
Turning to the sweeter side of things, this section will provide pineapple and yogurt recipes. Perfect for breakfast, a sweet midday snack, or some pineapple dessert recipes, this section will dive into pineapple parfait and smoothie recipes.
Pineapple Parfaits
One simple way to incorporate pineapple into your breakfast is to make a pineapple parfait. Usually, parfaits are made with layers of yogurt, granola, and fruit. You can make a tasty pineapple parfait at home by adding layers of cinnamon, mandarins, pineapple, raspberry, macadamia nuts, and coconuts in between the yogurt and granola.
Pineapple Smoothies
If you’re looking for a tropical boost that you can take on the go, try making a tropical smoothie! Much like parfaits, you can customize your smoothies however you’d like. We recommend pineapple smoothies made with pineapple juice (or tepache!), greek yogurt, a banana, pineapple chunks, and mint for garnish.
Place all ingredients except for the mint in a blender and blend until smooth. Once everything in your smoothie is completely blended, pour it into glasses to serve and garnish with mint and pineapple wedges.
Rum
If you’re wondering how pineapple pairs with liquor, this is the section for you! We’ll give you some boozy pineapple cocktails and a recipe for rum-pineapple ice cream.
Boozy Pineapple Cocktails
You can make a tasty tropical highball with 4 ounces of pineapple juice, 2 ounces of rum, soda water, nutmeg, and a chunk of pineapple for garnish. Simply add all the ingredients along with ice to a glass, then garnish with nutmeg and pineapple.
Piña coladas are also a classic sweet pineapple cocktail worth learning how to make.
You can also swap tepache for pineapple juice in these tasty cocktails if you’re looking for a sparkling twist!
Rum-Pineapple Ice Cream
You’ll wow any guest with this fancy rum-pineapple ice cream dessert. Cut your pineapple into rings and grill them for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Heat butter, sugar, and rum in a saucepan over low heat to make a sauce.
Once everything is ready, place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a grilled pineapple slice, drizzle with the rum sauce, and enjoy before it melts!
What Happens If You Ferment Pineapple?
If you ferment pineapple cores and rinds with water and spices for a few days, you’ll end up with tepache! Tepache is a delicious beverage that dates back to pre-Columbian Mexico. Generally considered milder than other fermented beverages like kombucha, tepache is the perfect, refreshing drink for a hot summer's day.
Unique Tepache Flavors To Try
Although tepache is made from pineapple, there is a wide array of unique tepache flavors you can try, all inspired by the flavors of Mexico. These flavors include:
- Watermelon Jalapeno
- Grapefruit Lime
- Ginger Manzana (Apple)
- Orange Turmeric
- Mango Chili
- Tamarind Citrus
- Chamoy
- Cactus Prickly Pear
Benefits of Drinking Tepache
The best part about tepache? Not only is it incredibly flavorful, but it’s also healthy! Tepache contains natural prebiotics and probiotics that can improve your gut health and digestion.
Tepache is also naturally low-sugar and low-calorie, so it makes a great substitute for other carbonated beverages like soda.
Wrapping Up
There are so many ways to incorporate pineapple into your diet. Hopefully, this article has inspired you to try pineapple with ham, seafood, yogurt, rum, and more!
Sources:
Health Benefits of Pineapple | Cleveland Clinic
Red Raspberries and Their Bioactive Polyphenols: Cardiometabolic and Neuronal Health Links | NCBI
