I was cruising through the aisle of Trader Joe’s picking up some weekly basics like mixed greens, cheese, yogurt, and milk when I happened to come upon the sample stand serving hot dogs. Turkey hot dogs to be exact.
Now, it had been a while since I had a hot dog. After hearing about how they are possible the worst food you could possibly eat from health fanatics, I tended to swerve away from this barbecue staple.
I was a little skeptical about them, so I read the Nutrition Facts on the back of the packaging and they seemed fairly natural and healthy for hot dogs. But now, I had to taste them and see if they were decent.
And, they were more than decent. They were delicious. They had that salty taste of summer that I had completely forgotten about. So I hastily grabbed a pack and immediately put it in my cart, even though no one was around me and no one would have snatched up the hot dogs before I could put my fingers on them.
So now you may be thinking, why a mango salsa for the hot dogs? I’ve been pretty interested in mango since going on vacation, when so many savory dishes were served with sweet, juicy, tender mango. I thought that the salty hot dogs and sweet mango would mesh well together and boy was I right. It was a risk that was well worth it!
Without further ado, here’s the recipe!
Hot Dogs with Mango Salsa
Serves 2
- 2 Turkey dogs (or two hot dogs)
- 2 Plain hot dog buns
- 1/2 ripe mango, diced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1/4 cup raw onion
- 5-6 sprigs of cilantro
- Jalapeño pepper, to taste. (I added two teeny tiny rounds of a fresh jalapeño pepper)
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Optional: plain yogurt to top hot dog, like a condiment.
1. Make the salsa first by dicing the mango, avocado, an raw onion. Then throw in a mixing bowl and toss. Add cilantro and lime juice, then set aside.
2. Make the hot dogs according to the instructions on the back of the package. I decided to bake mine (because that was fastest with the highest taste/texture payoff) for about 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees F. If you aren’t immediately ready to serve them after they are heated up, turn the oven off and keep them warm in the oven with the residual heat.
Of course, if you have the time, fire up the grill! I was only making two of these and didn’t want to spend all that time and effort to make only two.
3. While the hot dogs are in the oven, get out a frying pan and toast the buns. Once they are lightly toasted, set aside.
4. You should be ready to assemble your hot dog! It’s fairly simple at this point because I know you know how to add a hot dog to a hot dog bun… but after that point, simple add a few dollops of yogurt to the dog and top off with the mango salsa. Done! Eat them while they’re hot!
If you have any extra mango salsa, you can serve it with chips, or add it to a hamburger too. You honestly could even eat it on its own. There is no wrong (or shameful) way to eat the salsa!
