A bowl of sweet Rainier cherries – those blush-yellow beauties with an especially alluring flavor – inspired this salsa. Perfect on grilled chicken (especially this recipe: the lime and cilantro make a nice bridge), grilled pork tenderloin, or with fresh goat cheese on a toast, this pretty and lively salsa should be on deck for Fourth of July celebrations or any cookout.

To dice fresh cherries: I don’t have a cherry pitter, nor do I want to smash the cherries for this salsa. Dicing cherries may sound fussy, but it’s really not hard once you get the rhythm. With the stem pointing away from you, slice the flesh off of each half of the cherry, leaving the pit in the middle. (You can cut those slices into four pieces.) You’ll be left with a round disk with the pit in the middle. Lay that flat. You will still be able to neatly slice off some cherry flesh left clinging to the pit. (Just don’t include the pit or parts of it.) Dice as necessary.

Makes 2 ½ cups

• 2 cups small-diced pitted cherries (preferably Rainier yellow cherries), from about 1 ¼ to 1 ½ pounds cherries
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced (and then roughly chopped) scallions (white and light green part only)
• 1 ½ to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh jalapeño (more if you like)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Big pinch Kosher salt
• 2 big pinches organic cane sugar, more to taste

1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the diced cherries, the chopped scallions, 1 ½ tablespoons of the cilantro, the jalapeño, the lime zest and the lime juice. Add a big pinch of kosher salt and two big pinches of sugar. Stir gently to combine. Let sit for five minutes, stirring gently occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning with more cilantro or sugar if you like.