On a recent trip to Mexico City I decided to take my parents and brother to Azul, Ricardo Muñoz Zurtida’s restaurant in Mexico City’s famed Roma District. Zurtida is a world famous chef who has literally written the book on traditional Mexican cuisine, and based off my experience with the roasted duck stuffed buñuelos with mole negro, the dude is the real deal. However, what really impressed me and got me excited were the different salsas that they served throughout the dinner, so when I found out that Zurtida has also published a recipe book called Salsas Mexicanas with over 100 different salsa recipes, I knew I had to buy it.

While thumbing through the book I came across Zurtida’s recipe for mango pico de gallo and immediately knew I needed to make it. Summer is peak mango season here in Mexico and since I live on the boarder of Oaxaca (one of the primary mango growing states in Mexico) I have access to some of the most beautiful, ripe, delicious mangos around. However, Zurtida’s recipe called for fish sauce, which isn’t exactly readily available here in rural Mexico, so I knew I would have to adapt the recipe. And since I was already adapting, I decided to swap the serrano peppers in the recipe for habaneros. I have always been partial to the combination of mangos and habaneros. So, I kinda decided to use the recipe as inspiration, but ultimately just did my own thing and experimented because, you know, why the hell not? And at the end of the day, I was very happy that I did.

I was super impressed by how this pico de gallo came out and, while I can neither confirm nor deny it, I may have ended up eating a whole bowl of it by myself. The salsa came out super bright and fresh with a nice balance of heat and sweetness that I think makes this the perfect summertime salsa recipe. It would be great served as a stand alone appetizer with a side of chips (and ideally a cup of good mezcal), put on top of a piece of grilled fish, or thrown into something like a fish or shrimp taco. I’ll eventually actually make Zurtida’s version of this salsa when I can find that damn fish sauce, but for now, this pico de gallo will do just fine. Try it out and let me know what you think. Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 cup diced mango (I used a Kent mango, but just about any variety will do)
1 minced habanero
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/8 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced cilantro
Salt

Directions:

1. Cut all of your ingredients and toss everything except for the habanero into a bowl.

2. Add a small amount of the habanero to the bowl and toss everything well.

3. Try the salsa and add a little a bit more habanero if you want. Toss, try, add, and repeat until you reach your preferred level of spiciness. I personally love spicy food, so I will add a whole habanero and be happy, but I know that everyone has a different heat tolerance. Also remember, as this salsa sits and the flavors have time to incorporate, the heat will increase a little bit so it’s better to err on the side of caution. You can always add more habanero later.

4. Add salt to taste.

5. Enjoy!