A Perfect Holiday Appetizer - Colorful Pico de Gallo

One of my favorite items to make around the holidays are variations of bright and vibrant pico de gallo. There is something so festive to see vivid colors of red, yellow, orange, green, etc all diced, seasoned and blended to create a delicious accompaniment to entrees and appetizers.

Mango pomegranate pico de gallo has become one of my all time favorites. A friend used my mango pomegranate pico de gallo as a topping on her dinner entree serving it over tofu and rice. If you prefer meat on your entree, swap out the tofu for chicken or pork for a delicious hearty meal.

I prefer to purchase my own pomegranates so I can make sure to get the ripe arils. It is a little more work than purchasing the container of pre packaged arils. It is also cheaper to purchase a pomegranate versus buying the pre packaged arils! In Northern Hemisphere, you can usually find pomegranates available at your grocers from September through February.

I use Roma tomatoes with my pico de gallo as they have a firmer texture. It can be more challenging in the winter to find juicy ripe tomatoes at your local grocer. They may need to be brought home and allowed a few days to ripen. You can also use tomatoes on the vine as another alternative. It really depends on your taste palate as some tomatoes are sweeter than others. Sandwich style tomatoes such as heirloom tomatoes do not have the needed texture to hold up in a pico de gallo or a salsa.

There are so many ways to serve a fruit pico de gallo as an appetizer. It can be as simple as serving on a pita chip or crisp wafer style cracker. I recommend plain or sea salt as you want the flavor of the pico de gallo to be center stage on the taste buds. I also recommend topping a baguette or cracker with a smooth cream cheese or a mild firm cheese then adding the pico de gallo as a garnishment. It also tastes simply scrumptious over a hot melted brie. Another creative option is to take a baked won ton and fill it with fresh guacamole and top with the mango pomegranate pico de gallo.

Another way to get creative is to utilize a combination of fruits in your pico de gallo. In the photo above I combined sweet pineapple chunks with mango to make an incredible pico de gallo. Serve it over grilled fish, fresh salad greens, sliced ham for a blend of flavors that will delight the taste buds.

When using pomegranates, make sure they are a deep almost garnet red. That will ensure the sweet juicy ripe flavor in addition to the crisp crunch of the aril. If they are a pink/white in color they will have a tendency to be tart and slightly bitter and not add the sweet juicy flavor pomegranates are known for.

Pico de gallos come in all forms and flavors. They can make for a colorful holiday hostess gift or a great addition to a gift basket for friends. Although winter can be challenging on the produce especially fruits available, get creative on the various ways you can combine flavors and textures to create and delight the senses. I enjoy combining the crunchiness of cucumbers with a softer sweeter fruit like champagne mangoes, peaches or pineapples then adding red onions give it a nice zip to the flavor. When using tomatoes for pico de gallo, take into consideration the type of tomato you are using when adding your fruits. If your tomato is tangy then add a sweeter fruit. If your tomato is a more sweet, you can add a crisp apple like a granny smith or a honey crisp apple to change up the flavor combinations.

I hope this holiday season you will take the opportunity to venture out of the norms and use some of my suggestions when it comes to salsa and pico de gallo and get #CreativeInTheKitchenWithSalsa from #LisasPointofView.