What To Buy If You Miss Trader Joe's Discontinued Island Salsa

The term "salsa," when used in the generic sense, is frequently applied to a tomato-based sauce that may or may not be spicy, and many store-bought salsas do conform to this "default" setting. In both Spanish and Italian, however, "salsa" simply means "sauce," so "salsa de chocolate" is a thing, as is "salsa de frutas." The latter category is where we find Trader Joe's late, great Island Salsa. While Trader Joe's never specified any particular island, it must have been a tropical one since the sauce's main ingredients were mango and pineapple, supplemented with bell peppers, onions, and sugar (jalapeños were way down the list). Trader Joe's seems to have stopped selling the stuff in recent years, though, so what product can step up to take its place?

The retailer offers a number of different salsas at the time of this writing, but none of them are fruit-based. If you can't see yourself shopping anywhere else, your best bet for a substitute salsa may be Trader Joe's Corn and Chile Salsa. Despite "chile" being in the name, this salsa also appears to be far more sweet than fiery since the main ingredients are sweet corn, bell peppers, and onions, while the label itself promises only "a touch of heat." This means that even though it may lack the tang of the Island Salsa, it's similarly mild and sugary. In fact, this salsa is so sweet that one Amazon reviewer compared it to candy corn.

If you're not married to Trader Joe's, or if you have an open arrangement and are allowed to see other stores on the side (or at least do some online shopping), you can find plenty of other pineapple-mango salsas to buy. Whole Foods sells such a variety, albeit without the sugar and bell peppers, while Simply Gourmet Fresh, Dillman Farm, and Old Florida Gourmet also have their own versions.

None of these are identical to Island Salsa — the first is sugar-free, and the latter two, while sugary, include tomatoes. Still, they're likely a closer bet than corn salsa. If you want something spicier, Hatch Valley 505 makes a medium-hot mango-pineapple-jalapeño salsa, while Buc-ees has a mango-pineapple-habanero variety. The latter is billed as mild, though, since that habanero heat is tempered by sugar, tomato paste, and bell peppers.

Of course, you can always make your own pineapple-mango salsa and adjust the spice and sugar levels to your liking. We suggest you start with this fresh mango salsa recipe — just omit the tomatoes and avocado (unless you want them) and add ½ cup or more of fresh, diced pineapple. Stir in a little (or a lot) of sugar if you please, then add chopped chiles to taste. Chances are, you may find that your easy homemade salsa recipe tastes better than anything you could buy at Trader Joe's, and it comes out to be a lot cheaper, too.