Savory Strawberry Salsa (Fruit Pico de Gallo)
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on Apr 17, 2021, Updated Jun 05, 2024
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This easy 5-ingredient Strawberry Salsa recipe, this fruit pico de gallo is sweet, spicy, and savory—perfect for spooning over grilled meat or scooping up with tortilla chips.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Fruit Pico De Gallo Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Strawberry Salsa
- Optional Variations
- Serving & Topping Suggestions
- Expert Tips & Tricks
- Storage Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Mexican Strawberry Recipes
- Savory Strawberry Salsa (Fruit Pico de Gallo) Recipe
Ever since my trip to the California strawberry fields, I have been obsessed with this recipe for strawberry salsa. Up until then, I always thought that strawberries were best used in sweet, dessert-y applications (like my strawberry shortcakes), and I never even considered using them for something savory.
It turns out that my favorite spring fruit is actually perfectly suited to more than a life of drinks and desserts. When paired with spicy jalapeño, piquant red onion, tart lime, and fresh cilantro, juicy strawberries take on a persona you haven’t seen before.
Why You’ll Love This Fruit Pico De Gallo Recipe
- This simple strawberry pico de gallo is made with just a handful of fresh ingredients: jalapeños, strawberries, lime juice, cilantro, red onion, and salt. It’s naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free, and vegan, so pretty much everyone can get in on the tasty action!
- It’s sweet and spicy, tart and juicy, and positively bursting with the flavors of spring.
- It’s deliciously versatile—I love it over fish, chicken, and skirt steak, or as a simple appetizer with tortilla chips.
- This super simple salsa recipe takes just a few minutes of prep time.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions can be found in the printable recipe card below.
As promised, you only need a handful of ingredients to make this easy fruit salsa. Here’s what to grab:
- Jalapeño Pepper – For a touch of heat. If you’re spice averse, make sure to remove the seeds and white membranes before adding them to the salsa.
- Strawberries – Fresh, in-season strawberries are the heart of this recipe. I recommend you give the clamshell a sniff—the more fragrant they are, the tastier they’ll be.
- Red Onion – I love the mildly sweet flavor and gorgeous magenta hue of red onions, but you can swap in white or sweet yellow onions in a pinch.
- Fresh Cilantro – For a pop of bright, herbaceous goodness. Not a fan of cilantro? Try using flat-leaf parsley instead.
- Lime Juice – Fresh lime juice tastes far superior to bottled. To get the most from your fruit, roll them firmly on your countertop for 10-15 seconds before slicing open.
- Salt – A touch of salt helps awaken all the flavors in this vibrant pico de gallo fruta.
How To Make Strawberry Salsa
If you’re a fan of easy recipes, this one’s for you!
Step 1: Wash & Prep your produce. Remove the root ends of the strawberries and roughly chop them. Remove the root end of the jalapeño and remove the seeds and membranes. Remember that these areas are filled with capsaicin (the compound that makes chiles taste “hot”), so be sure to wash your hands thoroughly before touching your face or using the restroom. Peel and dice your onion. Roughly chop your cilantro.
Step 2: Toss. Add all the chopped ingredients to a bowl. Toss with lime juice and season with salt to taste. That’s it! So simple, right? Now enjoy!
Optional Variations
This recipe has not been tested with all of these substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
- Extra Spicy – Feel free to amp up the heat by leaving the jalapeño seeds and membranes intact. You can also add more jalapeño, or swap in slightly spicier serrano peppers instead.
- Add More Fruit – Mango strawberry salsa or pineapple strawberry salsa are both delightful! You could also make a creamy strawberry avocado salsa if you like.
Serving & Topping Suggestions
Equal parts salad and salsa, this easy strawberry salsa recipe makes a perfectly refreshing side dish and is lovely atop grilled meat—especially steak, chicken, or fish. Want a vegetarian option? Add it to a simple black bean burrito bowl. It’s also delicious when served with tortilla chips or even just a spoon!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Use fresh, fragrant, in-season strawberries for the best, brightest flavor. They’re at their peak from about late March through June.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw jalapeños. Trust me: you don’t want to accidentally touch your eyes.
Storage Instructions
- This fresh strawberry salsa is best served within about 4 hours of making it.
- Any leftovers will keep in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the recipe! I’ve seen some recipes for strawberry salsa that look more like dessert—they’re tossed with honey and mint, then served with cinnamon sugar chips or buñuelos. This particular strawberry pico de gallo showcases the natural sweetness of berries, but is punctuated by spicy jalapeño peppers.
Pico de Gallo is also sometimes called salsa fresco and is part of the larger family of salsas. Pico de gallo is a chunky style salsa that is typically dressed with lime and salt. This pico de gallo style strawberry salsa is chunky, fresh and delicious, highlighting all the best distinct flavors of the ingredients.
Strawberries have a tendency to macerate rather quickly, which renders them quite soft. For the best consistency, I recommend making this strawberry pico de gallo no more than four hours ahead of time. That said, any leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
Absolutely! Packed with the goodness of fresh strawberries, onions and jalapeños and with no added sugar or oil, this is about as bright and clean of a condiment that you can get!
More Mexican Strawberry Recipes
- Strawberry Horchata
- Strawberry Pineapple Mojito
- Rhubarb and Strawberry Crostata
- Strawberry Margarita Popsicles
If you made this recipe for Pico de Gallo-Style Strawberry Salsa, please do me the honor of rating and reviewing it below! And if you happen to post pics of your tasty creation to Instagram, don’t forget to tag me (@muybuenocooking) so I can see!
Savory Strawberry Salsa (Fruit Pico de Gallo)
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and chopped
- 16 ounces strawberries, hulled and chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice of 1 lime
Instructions
- Put chopped jalapeño, strawberries, onion, and cilantro in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt.
- Add lime juice and stir then taste and add additional salt if necessary.
Notes
- Use fresh, fragrant, in-season strawberries for the best, brightest flavor. They’re at their peak from about late March through June.
- Wash your hands thoroughly after handling raw jalapeños. Trust me: you don’t want to accidentally touch your eyes.
- For the best consistency, I recommend making this strawberry pico de gallo no more than four hours ahead of time.
- That said, any leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to two days.
- Extra Spicy – Feel free to amp up the heat by leaving the jalapeño seeds and membranes intact. You can also add more jalapeño, or swap in slightly spicier serrano peppers instead.
- Add More Fruit – Mango strawberry salsa or pineapple strawberry salsa are both delightful! You could also make a creamy strawberry avocado salsa if you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Raemi Vermiglio
Happy Birthday Yvette!
Hope your day was filled with many blessings and happy surprises.
Sincerely,
Deane (Dean)
P.S. hope to make the Strawberry salsa this weekend.
Actually, it’s not the root end of the strawberries and jalapenos. That’s the stem end. And, it’s better to hull the strawberries than to cut off the stem end because you waste a bit of the fruit if you cut the top off rather than hulling it to remove just the stem. Great recipe and even better with fresh, ripe mango.
So yummy, and such a fun new way to use strawberries!
Love everything I’m reading need recipes for the other things I was reading
Hello! Would this taste good on a batch of carnitas? I am trying to eat seasonally, and right now in my state, the strawberries are in, but the tomatoes are not. However, I was not sure if strawberries would taste good with carnitas. Thanks so much!
These recipes look amazing I will definitely try them