Fresh Orange Salsa Fresca. Easy & Delicious!
This Orange Salsa made with Cara Cara Oranges is so fresh, flavorful, and delicious! Pile it on top of fish tacos, or enjoy it as a dip with your favorite chips!
Happy January everyone!
I can think of no better way of celebrating the New Year that with a big dose of winter sunshine…citrus fruit! And, this festive Cara Cara Orange Salsa Fresca.
Health Benefits of Oranges & Other Citrus Fruit
- Rich in vitamin & minerals, especially vitamin C, folate, & potassium.
- Citrus fruits are rich in fiber, especially soluble fiber (which tends to be well tolerated by people with IBS). In addition, soluble fiber may help modulate cholesterol levels by raising good (HDL) cholesterol, and decreasing bad (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides.
- May help with cancer prevention. Citrus fruits contain flavonoids-powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory rich compounds in plant foods that may help prevent chronic diseases, including cancer.
Truly, I’ve never met a citrus fruit I didn’t like…
I love having a lemon tree in my backyard…

And a lime tree is always good to have, you know, for margaritas and such…
Oh, and I have a Valencia orange tree too, but, unfortunately, it is in very sad shape, so I won’t depress you with photos {A happy citrus tree will cheer me up at any time, but a sad looking one leaves me feeling, well, sad…}
But, my all time favorite citrus fruit has probably got to be the satsuma tangerine.
My parents always had at least one satsuma tree in their backyard, and I have fond memories of picking juicy, seedless satsumas as a child.ย I love that my kids,ย SiSi and Big Tex, get to pick satsumas from their grandparents’ tree, too!
Unfortunately I can’t show you any photos, because my SiSi has eaten them all…
I’m pretty sure she holds the record in our household for eating the most satsumas {8? 10? 12?} in one sitting!
One can’t live on Satsumas alone, though, so coming in at a close second favorite citrus fruit of mine is the Cara Cara Orange. Which just so happens to pair deliciously with onions & cilantro to make this delightful orange salsa!
Deeply sweet, a little bit tangy, and a gorgeous shade of pinky orange, the cara cara is reminiscent of a cross between an orange and a ruby red grapefruit.
Absolutely delicious, and with a high lycopene content , thanks to their lovely deep pink hue, Cara Cara’s are the perfect choice for this healthy & delicious Fresh Orange Salsa Fresca!
What to Eat w/ This Cara Cara Orange Salsa
- You can certainly do it up the classic way and serve the salsa with your favorite tortilla chips.
- It would be pretty yummy rolled up in a tortilla on top of scrambled eggs for breakfast tacos or a burrito…
- But, the ultimate way to enjoy this orange salsa fresca is on top of fish tacos. Yum!
Here’s my easy, no recipe, way to make ’em…
- Season fish of choice {we usually use mahi mahi} with salt and pepper, and grill, bake, or broil your fish.
- Heat corn tortillas up, and cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
- Prepare the fixins’: Our faves are chopped cabbage {for me it MUST be cabbage-NOT lettuce!}; avocado; white sauce {1/2 mayo mixed with 1/2 Greek Yogurt}; shredded cheddar {optional for me, but my kids love it}, and of course a BIG ol’ heapin’ scoop of Cara Cara Orange Salsa Fresca!

Cara Cara Orange Salsa Fresca
Ingredients
- 2 Cara Cara Oranges, peeled & cut into ~ 1/4 inch chunks
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 limes, juiced
- 2 1/2 tsp chopped jalapeno, with seeds for spicy version, or omit seeds for mild version
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in bowl. Store in a well sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.ย
Notes
Nutrition
Let’s Chat!
What’s your favorite citrus fruit? Have you tried Cara Cara Oranges before? What would you put this Orange Salsa on top of???