Pico de Gallo Style Salsa Fresca

Fresca means fresh! Making your own salsa fresca, such as this traditional pico de gallo, is easy, delicious and most times healthier than store bought salsa from a jar.

We love how simple some authentic Mexican food can be. Mexican people have figured out how to repackage cilantro, onion, lime juice, chile peppers and tomatoes a bazillion different ways (yes, that’s a real number). Here they all just hang out raw and chopped in a bowl, ready to jump on your favorite dish, such as a piece of grilled fish or our Nirvana Taco recipe.

Traci has spent a lot of time in Mexico, is pretty darn fluent in Spanish, and we both have eaten A LOT of salsa, but it is not clear if pico de gallo means rooster’s beak or rooster’s peck (like getting pecked or pecking for food). It does not mean rooster’s pecker, so let that be clear! Pico is from picar, which can mean to chop, to bite or sting, or to snack on something, such as finger food, so who really knows? Okay, too much postulating. Let’s start chopping… and eating!

Note: If you are hot spice averse, you can leave out the chiles or use bell peppers. However, if you are going to feed it to a real Mexican national, just rename it “gringo garnish.”

Salsa Fresca

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Ingredients

  

• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped including stems
• 1 purple onion, finely chopped
• 1½ cups tomato, ripe mango, pineapple, or papaya, finely chopped into small cubes
• 1-2 serrano or jalapeño peppers, deseeded, deveined & finely chopped (can be omitted or substituted with ¼ chopped bell pepper of any color)
• 2-3 juicy limes (or to taste)

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
• Store in the refrigerator and enjoy on Nirvana Tacos, eggs, fish or anything that needs more flavor and super plant nutrition!