It's summer here in Australia which also means it's mango time! This Mango Pico De Gallo (fresh mango salsa) recipe is my way of making the most of this succulent tropical fruit that features on many Aussie Christmas holiday menus.
I have upped the savoury flavours in this mango pico de gallo with avocado, along with the usual ingredients of mangoes, roma tomatoes, cilantro (coriander), onion, chilli and lime juice.
Pico de gallo is a fresh type of salsa, or what's known as "salsa fresca" which means "fresh sauce". It has much less liquid than other kinds of salsa, in this case just lime juice and is left quite chunky.
This mango and avocado version makes a perfect quick and healthy side dish for your protein of choice.
Table of Contents
Why you will love mango pico de gallo
- It's fast.
- It's no-cook.
- All-the-good-for-you-things like fresh fruit and veg.
What you need to make mango pico de gallo
- mangoes - choose ripe mangoes, they should have a nice mango-ey smell and feel heavy for their size
- tomatoes - I use roma tomatoes
- avocado
- spanish (red) onion
- long red (jalapeno) chilli
- cilantro (coriander)
- lime juice - see below for getting more juice from your lime
- fine salt
*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions
Step by step photos
- Chop the mangoes.
- Add them to a bowl.
- Then add chopped tomatoes.
- Add chopped avocado.
- Add red onion.
- Add cilantro (coriander).
- Add chilli.
- Lastly, add lime juice and mix gently then add salt to taste.
Top tips
- You want to use fresh, ripe fruit - mangoes, tomatoes and avocado - for this pico de gallo. But, try not to use produce that is over-ripe, this will make your salsa very sloppy as the lime juice starts to break down the fruit anyway, and it will be faster with soft over-ripe fruit.
- Easily chop the mangoes by slicing off each "cheek" then scoring a crisscross pattern into the flesh side of the cheek. Press the skin side of the cheek slightly inside out (see image 1 above) then (either using a small knife or a spoon even) slice the cubes of flesh away from the skin at their base.
- I remove the ribs and seeds from the red chilli because these parts of the chilli are hotter. Feel free to leave them in if you want to amp up the chilli factor (or add more).
- This fresh mango salsa is best made just before serving. You could chop the ingredients ahead of time, but don't combine them with the lime juice and salt until you are ready to serve.
Variations and serving suggestions
- Not a fan of cilantro (coriander)? Substitute flat leaf parsley.
- If you don't like avocado you could leave it out.
- Awesome with tacos.
- I like to serve this mango pico de gallo as a fresh and healthy side for things like salmon fillets or chicken breast.
- Great as part of the spread for your next barbeque or cookout because it goes really well with grilled meat.
- Also works great as a chunky style salsa dip served with corn chips for scooping.
Pico de gallo itself is a Mexican "salsa fresca" or "fresh sauce", but the term literally means "beak of rooster" - pico (beak) and gallo (rooster) in Spanish. This is thought to have come about due to the way it is eaten by pinching with the thumb and forefinger which makes a beak shape.
Get the maximum amount of juice from a lime without extra equipment (like a juicer) by rolling the lime around on a hard surface using the heel of your hand to apply pressure. This ruptures the "juice vesicles" or "citrus kernels" allowing more juice to come out. Then slice through the equator of the lime and squeeze out the juice. You can also use a fork as a makeshift citrus reamer too.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Orange and Avocado Salsa - spiced and grilled salmon topped with fresh avocado and orange salsa. A quick and tasty low carb dinner.
Shrimp Mango Avocado Salad - packed with fresh ingredients like prawns (shrimp), avocado, mango and feta, dressed with lemon and garlic.
📖 Recipe
Fresh and Juicy Mango Pico de Gallo Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 mangoes chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes de-seeded and chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- ½ red (spanish) onion finely chopped
- 1 cup cilantro (coriander) leaves firmly packed - roughly torn
- 1 long red chilli (jalapeno) ribs and seeds removed and finely chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- fine salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the mangoes and add them to a bowl.
- Then add roma tomatoes (2 chopped and de-seeded) along with the avocado (1 chopped) and red onion (½ - finely chopped).
- Then add cilantro (1 cup firmly packed - roughly torn) and long red chilli (1 - ribs and seeds removed and finely chopped).
- Add lime juice (from 1 lime) and mix gently to combine then add fine salt to taste.
Notes
- You want to use fresh, ripe fruit - mangoes, tomatoes and avocado - for this pico de gallo. But, try not to use produce that is over-ripe, this will make your salsa very sloppy as the lime juice starts to break down the fruit anyway, and it will be faster with soft over-ripe fruit.
- Easily chop the mangoes by slicing off each "cheek" then scoring a crisscross pattern into the flesh side of the cheek. Press the skin side of the cheek slightly inside out (see image 1 above) then (either using a small knife or a spoon even) slice the cubes of flesh away from the skin at their base.
- I remove the ribs and seeds from the red chilli because these parts of the chilli are hotter. Feel free to leave them in if you want to amp up the chilli factor (or add more).
- This fresh mango salsa is best made just before serving. You could chop the ingredients ahead of time, but don't add the lime juice and salt until you are ready to serve.
This salsa was great, loved the avo. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure Chris.