Spicy Fermented Pico de Gallo with Jalapeno & Serrano Peppers

Servings: 20 Total Time: 30 mins Difficulty: Beginner
Combine this fermented pico de gallo with some freshly-squeezed lime juice, and enjoy with tortilla chips, tacos, or as a topping for scrambled eggs.
fermented pico de gallo pinit
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Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 30 mins Total Time 30 mins
Servings: 20

Description

I make fresh pico de gallo at least once a week at home, mostly because I love those bright and spicy Mexican-inspired flavors.  I recently discovered that you can lacto-ferment pico de gallo, and leave it out on your counter for a week or longer before refrigerating.  As time passes, the chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and liquid brine become deeply infused with the heat from the spicy peppers.  

Prep time: 30 minutes

Fermentation duration: Approximately 5 days.

Serves: 20

Note: I prefer to add freshly-squeezed lime juice to whatever quantity of fermented pico de gallo that I plan to eat that same day, as I find that the lime juice loses its fresh flavor if you add it to the fermentation with the vegetables.  Try adding fresh lime juice and serving this recipe up with some tortilla chips or as a component for tacos!  

Feel free to adjust the quantity or type of hot peppers as you see fit.  This version below contains more spicy peppers that you might see in a more traditional pico de gallo recipe.  If you are looking for a variation of this recipe that includes a bit of sweetness, consider adding a small quantity of fresh pineapple to the mix.

Ingredients

Instructions

When you are ready to begin your fermentation, clean a 1-quart mason jar or fermentation vessel.

  1. Cut the tomatoes, jalapenos, serranos, red onion, and garlic.
  2. Toss the vegetables together in a large mixing bowl with the Kosher salt and the chopped cilantro.
  3. Allow the salted vegetables to drain some of their liquid for roughly twenty minutes.
  4. Transfer the vegetables and cilantro to your clean mason jar.
  5. Press down on the ingredients to make sure the tomatoes and vegetables are submerged fully below the surface of the tomato liquid.
  6. Add a glass or ceramic fermentation weight to keep the contents submerged below the surface of the liquid as best you can.
  7. Cover the jar with a lid, and check on the ingredients every day to release the gas that has built up inside the jar. You can open the jar a few times on the first day that the product is fermenting, as it is quite active.
  8. After roughly five days (or less, if you prefer), transfer the fermented pico de gallo to the fridge.

  9. When you are ready to serve, combine the fermented pico de gallo with some freshly-squeezed lime juice, and enjoy with tortilla chips, tacos, or as a topping for scrambled eggs.
Keywords: salsa, fermented, ferment, pico de gallo, salsa, spicy

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  1. Andy

    This sounds fresh and spicy and amazing!