Fresh Mango Pico de Gallo recipe is like summer in a bowl! This amazingly refreshing dip is tangy, sweet and spicy at the same time. A perfect addition to any Mexican inspired dish!
Warmer weather means that the soup and stew season is officially over. It’s time for fresh and crunchy salads, barbequing and smoothies. At least in my head because spring in Maine is NOT exactly hot. However, Taco Tuesday can happen in any weather and there is no better way to brighten a Mexican night than with a fresh mango pico de gallo. It will seriously make you feel like it’s already summer, especially if you have a skinny Margarita in hand, too!
HOW TO PICK THE BEST RIPE MANGOS?
For the best mango salsa, you will need ripe mangos that are juicy and sweet. Here are a couple of tips that will help you pick ripe mangos.
- Don’t focus on the color. Skin pigmentation is not indication of ripeness so it doesn’t matter if the mango is green, yellowy orange or if it has some red on the skin.
- Apply pressure test. Your best bet for finding the perfect mango is to press it lightly with your fingers, just as you would with peaches or avocados. If it gives slightly, it is most likely ripe.
- The sniff test. This isn’t the most reliable, but sometimes ripe mangos will have a fruity scent at the stem.
WHAT ARE ATAULFO MANGOS?
Ataulfo mangos, sometimes called “honey mangos” are a smaller variety of mango with yellow skin. If you can find them at your grocery store, give them a try because they tend to be sweeter and creamier than regular mangos. From my experience, Ataulfo mangos are almost always sweet and work beautifully in this salsa.
MANGO PICO DE GALLO INGREDIENTS
Mangos: use regular or Ataulfo mangos. You can also use both varieties, as long as they are ripe.
Red Bell Pepper: it goes very well with the mango and complements its flavor.
Jalapeno Pepper: for a spicy zing. You can use the whole pepper or only half, if you’d like your salsa to be milder.
Cilantro: to add freshness to the dish.
Lime juice: adds tanginess to the salsa.
Salt: to balance out the flavors.
HOW TO MAKE THE SALSA
1. Peel and dice the mangos. This part is probably the most time consuming. The easiest way to cut mangos is cutting off the sides (unpeeled), making a grid on the flesh side using a paring knife without cutting through the skin and scooping out the diced flesh out with a spoon or a knife. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube if you’d like a visual. You can also peel the whole mango, cut off the sides and dice, whatever works better!
2. Chop up the vegetables. Finely dice red bell pepper and red onion. Chop up cilantro leaves.
3. Cut the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Finely chop the pepper.
4. Combine all the ingredients. Add the mangos, both peppers, red onion and cilantro into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and pour in the lime juice. Give everything a stir and your salsa is ready!
SUBSTITUTIONS, STORING AND PREP TIPS
- This salsa can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.
- If you don’t want it to be spicy, you can reduce the amount of jalapeno or skip it all together.
- If you prefer saltier dishes, increase salt amount to 1/2 teaspoon.
- Red bell pepper works best because of its sweet flavor but you can also use orange or green bell pepper.
- If you don’t like cilantro, substitute with parsley or thinly sliced scallions.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have the exact amounts of ingredients. This type of dish is pretty forgiving. You can use more mango, less red pepper, skip cilantro etc. Adjust to your preferences.
WHAT TO SERVE FRESH MANGO PICO DE GALLO WITH?
Unlike a blended salsa that has a runny texture, this salsa is almost like a salad and it goes well with most Mexican meat and seafood dishes, especially grilled. Try it on chicken or fish tacos, quesadillas, fajitas or burritos.
Another great option is to add it to any Mexican inspired bowls, such as chicken burrito bowl, taco salad or as a topping for my easy and quick Shrimp Fajita Bowl.
You can also enjoy mango salsa on its own as a dip with good tortilla chips. My favorite way to eat it is with grainless cassava flour tortilla chips by Siete.
If you try this Fresh Mango Pico de Gallo recipe, be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!
No time to make it now? Just pin it now and save the recipe for later!
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Fresh Mango Pico de Gallo
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: about 2 cups 1x
Description
Fresh Mango Pico de Gallo is like summer in a bowl! This amazingly refreshing dip is tangy, sweet and spicy at the same time. A perfect addition to any Mexican inspired dish!
Ingredients
3–4 mangos
1 medium red bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
¼ cup red onion, diced small
¼ tsp salt
1 lime
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Peel and dice the mangos. See my tips on how to best cut it in the blog post above.
- Chop up the vegetables and herbs. Finely dice red bell pepper and red onion. Chop cilantro leaves.
- Cut the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Finely chop the pepper.
- Combine all the ingredients. Add the mangos, both peppers, red onion and cilantro into a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and pour in the lime juice. Give everything a stir, wait 10-15 minutes for the flavors to develop and serve.
Notes
You can use regular or ataulfo mangos for this recipe.
For less spicy salsa, reduce the amount of jalapeno to 1/2 or skip all together.
- Category: side
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: how to make mango salsa, mango pico de gallo, mango pico, fresh mango salsa
This salsa turned out very very tasty, even with a not so perfect mango. I made it for the shrimp tacos and only used a half of the bowl – the other half disappeared 5 minutes after the tacos :)) we’ll definitely have it more often!
★★★★★
Glad you liked it, Marta!