A tropical twist to your Salsa
with Mango or Pineapple
Hi there! Happy Monday 😊
After more than 10 days of gorgeous weather here in Ireland ☀️, I’m pretty sure I picked the perfect month to dive into Mexican cooking. I've also been craving tons of fruit during this pregnancy, and I woke up thinking about two salsa recipes I haven’t made in forever — time to bring them back!
Fun fact: Did you know Pico de Gallo translates to “rooster’s beak”? You can imagine my confusion the first time someone offered it to me — I was very hesitant! Safe to say, I was pleasantly surprised to discover it’s just a super fresh mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime. It’s also known as Salsa Fresca (fresh sauce) or Salsa Cruda (raw sauce), and no matter what you call it, it deserves a spot at every Mexican-style dinner, summer BBQ, or picnic spread.
The first is a mango Pico de gallo that’s the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and tangy. If you can get good mangoes around your place, definitely need to try this version.
The second is a chunky pineapple salsa with lime, red onion, and coriander that I love adding onto tacos or scooping up with tortilla chips.
Both are super easy to make and taste even better the next day after the flavors meld together. Honestly, I might make a double batch of each and keep them in the fridge all week — it’s basically meal prep, right?
So what do you need?
Fresh tomatoes. For your tropical Pico de Gallo, you'll need juicy tomatoes such as Roma or plum tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are also a great choice as they tend to be sweet. I normally grab any tomato that is ready in our garden.
Red onion. Red onion is your best choice when it comes to fresh salsa. You can leave the sliced onion in water for a couple of minutes before adding it to the salsa if you find the taste of raw onion too sharp.
Ripe Pineapple or Mango. You can get a whole pineapple or buy already-prepared pineapple pieces. This last option can save you some time and energy involved in cutting the whole fruit! For a mango salsa, sweet and tangy mangoes work, depending on how you like your salsa. I personally like a sweeter mango for my pico de Gallo.
Fresh Coriander. You will need fresh cilantro or coriander for both recipes. You can add other fresh herbs to your taste, but coriander keeps the Mexican flavors of this dish.
Jalapeño pepper (optional). If you want your salsa slightly spicy without it being too overpowering, jalapeño peppers are a great choice. Remove the seeds for an even milder version. If you prefer your salsa spicier, try to get Serrano Peppers, which have a spicier flavor. Looking for a mild, kid-friendly version? Use bell peppers.
Lime. Fresh lime juice adds to your Pico de Gallo a much-needed tanginess. Don't leave this ingredient out!
Salt.
Making Process
Finely chop tomatoes, onion, and fruit into small cubes using a sharp knife. Finely chop the cilantro, and slice the jalapeño, if you want to add some spice. We recommend using a Mandoline to chop all the ingredients to the same size.
Transfer all the ingredients into a large bowl, add the zesty lime juice and salt, and combine well.
Preferably, leave the fresh salsa in the fridge to chill for at least 20 minutes, and your fruity pico de gallo will be ready to enjoy.
You can also…
Make this recipe with other fruits such as peach, orange, or apple. Get creative with your favorite ingredients!
Add avocado to your homemade Pico de Gallo. Avocado adds some creaminess to the fresh salsa; it's a beautiful addition!
Use cherry tomatoes. If you cannot find Roma Tomatoes or juicy and ripe tomatoes, get cherry tomatoes as they tend to be sweeter and work great for this Mexican salsa.
Adjust the spice. Using jalapeños will give your fresh salsa a kick, but if you are looking for something more spicy, we like adding serrano peppers, or red chilis.
Add these salsas to your Mexican dishes such as tacos, nachos, vegan quesadillas, or fajitas. Also we like serving it with tortilla chips as a dip, or as a side dish with grilled veggies.
Garden Update: We’re in Ireland at the moment, but going back home this week. My mum went to check our garden and found at least 6 large zucchinis that weren’t even there when we left! So next week, I’m hoping to find the time to cook Calabacitas, a Mexican recipe to use up some of those beautiful zucchinis.
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Let me know if you have any questions, I hope you get some time to try these salsas!
Talk soon,
Laura.