Plum Pico De Gallo
Pico de gallo is a summer salsa staple, but adding to it a favorite and seasonal stone fruit, the plum, gives this salsa a refreshing spin. The red-fleshed plum, with its sweet and tart notes, plays beautifully off the bright grassiness and sharp heat of fresh jalapeño. Alternatively, feel free to use a red-fleshed pluot, plumcot or cherries here. Lemon juice marries them together with its floral acidity, while the rich heirloom tomato brings balance. As the salsa sits, which is recommended for the flavors to develop, the color of the fruit bleeds and reveals a really stunning ruby red tone. Note: You can use serrano chiles instead of jalapeño. This recipe greatly benefits from the kick of heat. Serve on tacos, tortas, tostadas, as an appetizer with tortilla chips, and anywhere you’d typically enjoy pico de gallo.
Cut the plums in half, rotating the knife around each seed and revealing the core. Scoop the seed out with a small spoon and discard. Cut the fruit into a dice. You should have about a cup. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the diced onions and minced garlic to the bowl with plums and set aside.
Cut the stem ends off the jalapeño(s), then halve them lengthwise. Keep the seeds for a spicy salsa, or scoop them out for less heat and more of its grassy flavor. Note: Use as many or as few jalapeños as desired. Cut them into a fine dice and add to the plums.
Dice the tomatoes and add to the plum mixture. Finely chop the cilantro starting at the stems and finishing at the leaves. Add them to the plum mixture.
Add lemon juice, salt and olive oil and mix gently. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice as needed. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 to 20 minutes to develop its flavor more fully before serving. Note: The longer it sits, the more ruby red the pico de gallo will get.
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