Pineapple Pico de Gallo

Name: Pineapple Pico de Gallo
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 4 roma tomatoes (small to medium); ½ onion (white); 1 clove garlic; 2 cups pineapple; 1 jalapeño; 1 cup cilantro; 4 to 8 tablespoons lime juice (from 2 to 4 fresh limes); kosher salt (to taste)

This bright, fresh Pineapple Pico de Gallo combines ripe tomatoes, jalapeño, white onion, garlic, sweet pineapple, earthy cilantro, and tart lime juice for a lively, tropical condiment that will bring any dish to life.

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A black bowl of pineapple pico de gallo sits on a white marble counter with a halved lime, a spoon, and a yellow linen.

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What You'll Need
How to Make
Variations
FAQ
Expert Tips
How to Store
How to Make a Meal
Recipes You'll Love
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There is no cooking necessary to create this flavorful condiment. Just chop your ingredients, dress with lime juice, season with salt, and it's ready to serve.

Try it on your favorite Mexican dishes, mixed into salads, or as a condiment for pork, chicken, fish, or steak. It's delicious with scrambled eggs, served as a snack with tortilla chips, or on a simple meal of beans and rice.

Labeled ingredients for pineapple pico de gallo sit on a white marble counter.

What You'll Need

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Roma Tomatoes You can also use other varieties of tomato - whatever looks best and is available to you. The key is to find a good balance between your ingredients.
Pineapple You can use fresh pineapple or canned pineapple here. Be sure to drain the pineapple if it is canned.
White Onion You could also try a red or sweet onion. White onion is the most traditional here.
Fresh Cilantro I would not substitute this for another fresh herb or a dried herb.
Fresh Garlic A clove or two of minced garlic is a nice addition to this recipe. Again, I would not substitute with garlic powder here. If you don't have fresh garlic available, feel free to omit.
Fresh Limes You can also use an equivalent amount of bottled lime juice.
Kosher Salt This is my favorite kosher salt to cook with. Kosher salt is an excellent option for cooking because it is less concentrated, making it easier to salt to taste without oversalting.

How to Make

Step One: Devein the jalapeño by cutting in half and using a spoon to scoop out the membrane and seeds. Leave some membrane intact for a spicier salsa.

A halved jalapeno sits on a cutting board.

A silver spoon scoops out the membrane and seeds from a jalapeno.

Half of an intact jalapeno and half of a jalapeno with the membrane and seeds scooped out sit on a cutting board.

A jalapeno is sliced four times lengthwise for three quarters of the length of the pepper, leaving the tip intact.

The sliced jalapeno has been cut widthwise to create a small dice.

Step Three Finely dice the tomatoes, onion, and pineapple and add to a large bowl. Chop and add the cilantro. Mince and add the garlic.

The chopped ingredients for pineapple pico de gallo sit in a stainless steel bowl topped with minced garlic.

Step Four Dress with lime juice and season with plenty of kosher salt. Taste for seasoning. You can serve right away, but salsa is best after sitting in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors combine.

Finished pineapple pico de gallo is shown in a stainless steel bowl with a wooden spoon.

Variations

Traditional Remove the pineapple for a traditional pico de gallo.

Different Tropical Fruit Try using mango in place of pineapple for another variety of sweet, fresh fruit salsa.

Spicier In place of jalapeño, use a serrano pepper.

FAQ

What is pico de gallo? Are pico de gallo and salsa the same thing?

The most common version of pico de gallo you will encounter in the US is a fresh salsa made with tomatoes, onion, lime juice, cilantro, and a hot pepper like jalapeños or serranos.

Pico de gallo is a type of salsa. "Salsa" literally translates to "sauce" and can mean a wide variety of different condiments.

The three primary sauces are: pico de gallo, salsa roja (red salsa with cooked, blended ingredients), and salsa verde (green sauce using tomatillos in place of tomatoes).

Is pico de gallo spicy?

It can be. There is typically either jalapeño or serrano in pico de gallo, which can be quite hot. You can minimize the spice by deveining the peppers or using a smaller amount than the recipe calls for.

Can pico de gallo go bad?

Yes. Be sure to store it in the fridge in an airtight container with a lid, or seal the bowl with a fresh piece of plastic wrap each time you take some salsa out of the container.

Is pico de gallo healthy?

While the markers for a healthy dish can be different depending on your diet, pico de gallo has fresh produce, no preservatives, no added sugar or fat, and very few calories.

It contains vitamin C, A, E, K, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium.

Can pico de gallo be frozen?

I do not recommend it. A fresh salsa like this is best eaten within a few days of making it.

Expert Tips

For spicier pico de gallo, skip deveining your jalapeño, or add two. You could also try using serrano peppers in place of jalapeños.
Taste your salsa as you go. You may need more salt than you think, but you will want to add it incrementally to avoid oversalting. Add just a bit, taste, then add more if needed, keeping in mind that flavors will intensify as it sits in the fridge.
If anything seems off balance, try adding more of the other ingredients to balance it. If it's too sweet, add salt or jalapeño. If it's too salty, add more tomato, pineapple, and lime.

How to Store

This salsa is best stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Be sure to move to the fridge within 2 hours for food safety reasons.

I do not recommend freezing as the texture will be unpleasant.

How to Make a Meal

This salsa is incredibly versatile and bring life to otherwise plain food. Here are some ideas:

Steak Grill up some Carne Asada, make a Carne Asada Quesdilla and spoon some of this salsa over top.

Mexican Dishes Add a scoop to your favorite Mexican dishes - tacos like these Spicy Potato Soft Tacos, burritos, Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas - or spice up your favorite taco salad with a scoop of pico.

Breakfast Try potatoes with bacon or sausage, and scrambled eggs with a spoonful of this salsa.

Tortilla Chips Add some of this salsa to a bowl and serve with your favorite tortilla chips, or use it to top your nachos.

Grilled Fish or Chicken Serve as a condiment for simply grilled fish or chicken.

Beans and Rice Enjoy a dinner of beans and rice made exciting with the addition of this pico de gallo.

Recipes You'll Love

Here are some other delicious spicy condiments to try:

Pineapple Habanero Salsa

Chipotle Southwest Sauce

Spicy Pickled Onions

Skhug

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