This recipe on How to Make Easy Fermented Pico De Gallo Salsa is so delicious and so simple to make! Its wonderful spicy flavors will make you think you are in the Desert Southwest. This post will also, hopefully, ease your mind about lacto-fermentation and answer your questions about how to tell if your ferment has gone bad.

Easy Fermented Pico De Gallo Salsa recipe - A brown basket with white onions, yellow lemons, red tomatoes, and green jalapenos.

Fermented Pico de Gallo Salsa, also known as salsa fresca, is my absolute favorite take on salsa and so much better than regular salsa! Why is it so good you ask? Well, for starters, it’s lacto-fermented.

Can this pico de gallo salsa recipe be enjoyed without fermenting?

Absolutely! There are times when we are having people over and I have not had the chance (or completely forgot) to make this salsa recipe lacto fermented. Instead, I just serve fresh pico de gallo! I will make it first thing in the moring and let it sit out for a couple of hours so that all the juices render and all the wonderful flavors meld together. It is still amazing!

What is Lacto-fermented?

It is the process by which lactic-acid-producing bacteria called lactobacillus genus breaks down the sugars in the food to form lactic acid. This all takes place in a brine solution along with an oxygen deprived environment. Some examples of this process are yogurt, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, Kombucha, and pickled vegetables such as SALSA. You knew I’d put that in all caps, right?

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One thing that I really miss about El Paso, Texas is the mexican food. It was very much a part of my everyday diet, and honestly, nothing else compares to it. It’s funny because, although I hear about “great” Mexican restaurants in Western Pennsylvania, I find myself reluctant to try them because I’m afraid I’ll be dissapointed! So, Theron and I just stick to those recipes that we learned, he from his mexican heritage and me from my upbringing in the culture. It keeps our cravings pretty content until we go back for a visit.

This recipe is one of those recipes that bring back fond memories of home just with the smell alone! As soon as we moved to the Northeast I started a small garden, on our rental property, that grew the best cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro. Making this dish from these super fresh ingredients made me realize how much better fresh vegetables make recipes taste!

I didn’t realise how bland a supermarket tomato was compared to a homegrown one. I highly suggest that everyone grows a salsa garden. The space needed is minimal and therefore; the maintenance is limited. You can grow all of these, even tomatillos, in pots on your patio!

How to Eat This Salsa?

Don’t limit yourself to just enjoying this with tortilla chips, although it’s amazing just like that! I have been known to put away a bag of tortilla chips with this salsa, no shame in that! We love this on our eggs, probably second to tortilla chips, but it goes well with a steak and chicken breast too. It also goes well with avocado for a delicious avocado dip!

Try adding this to queso fresco for an amazing healthy snack! My queso fresco (farmer cheese recipe found here) is excellent mixed with this. Just add it to it after the cheese has cooled down a bit. Adding the salsa when the cheese is still warm will kill all those good bacteria you worked so hard to create during the fermentation process.

Another great idea for this pico de gallo recipe is to make a ceviche out of it. Once the salsa is fermented and ready, add extra lemon juice to it and some white fish with shrimp and maybe some diced avocado (my take on it). It’s amazing! Of course traditional tacos and burritos are so much better with this salsa added to them.

Why Eat Fermented Foods?

This amazing process has been used to preserve food for thousands of years. But that’s not all, it carries with it amazing health benefits of live bacterial cultures that put the good guys back into your gut. Yeah, but what does that mean? This means you’re going to want to eat these wonderful foods on a regular basis to help boost your immune system, especially when you are fighting an illness.

Antibiotics are used to kill off any bad bacteria but at the same time they can’t help themselves from killing off the good bacteria too. This is why we want to make sure to repopulate our guts by eating gut-healthy probiotics found in fermented foods, and this salsa recipe is a great way to encourage good health!

I cannot stress how simple fermented foods are to make and the best part is, they really don’t take a long time to put together! I had so much fear around “do it yourself” that I solely relied on store bought items for the longest time, for the fear of poisoning my family! Here’s the kicker, I was having bad reactions to them because of all the added preservatives! It was a nightmare! I could only take probiotics in pill form, talk about pricey. This is such an unnecessary cost! In most cases a few forkfuls of fermented vegetables are equal to an entire bottle of high potency probiotics. What a cost effective alternative.

Tips and supplies on Lacto-Fermenting

When fermenting, all the fruits and the vegetables need to stay submerged under the brine which will help to get rid of the presence of oxygen and provide a healthy and safe environment for the good bacteria to thrive. I like to ferment using a wide-mouth quart jar (here) with a glass weight (here) to make sure the food stays submerged under the brine.

After about 24 hours you’ll need to “burp” the jar. This is where you will slightly unscrew the top to let out the excess gasses that have built up from the fermentation process. Then, you will quickly close the lid to keep from letting oxygen in. If you don’t do this at least once a day, then the gasses can build up creating pressure and cause your jar to explode! I have a tendency to get very busy and completely forget, so I have invested in burping lids (here) that continually let out the gasses for me, so I am able to set it aside and forget about it until it’s ready to enjoy!

What’s on top of my ferment?

Green or black mold found on the top and throughout would be my biggest concern, which would mean not enough salt was added and oxygen got in. At that point I would compost it. If I see a white layer on top, I will usually skim it off as this is just yeast.

This should smell like salsa upon opening and should NOT smell bad, and if it does, then throw it in the compost pile! I have found google pictures to be very helpful when I am seeing something questionable in my ferments, but for the most part, if I’m questioning it, it goes to my chickens. It’s not worth it for me! I like to let my ferments sit in a dark place at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, like a pantry. If for some reason I need to ferment at a slower rate, I will place it in a cool place like a cold storage.

My Final Thoughts

Anytime I can turn something we love to eat into something beneficial, I’m all in! No guilt in it at all! Growing up in a city with the best Mexican food you will ever find, is my inspiration for this. Oh, how I miss El Paso’s Mexican food! This easy recipe has such a great tangy flavor and is one of our favorite fermented salsa recipes that takes us back home. Not only can I feel good about serving my family something tasty and packed with vegetables but I’m able to support their gut health as well!

The fun thing about this simple recipe is that you can play with it to make your own! Try adding a dash of black pepper or if jalapenos aren’t for you, then try swapping them out for a couple of bell peppers. To make this a salsa verde, or green salsa, simply replace the tomatoes with tomatillos.

Ingredients:

5 medium vine ripe fresh tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
2 bunches of fresh cilantro (don’t skip!)
2 jalapenos (seeded and spines removed if wanting a milder taste)
2 ¼ teaspoons of Himalayan salt
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or lime juice

How To Make Easy Fermented Pico De Gallo Salsa

This makes two batches of salsa. Trust me you’ll want them both!

Dice all fresh produce and add to a large bowl or pulse them a couple of times in a food processor, make sure to keep it chunky! Try to salvage as much liquid from the tomatoes as possible, as this will help create the brine.

Transfer the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Add lemon juice and salt.

Mix well with a wooden spoon until fully combined.

Divide up evenly and place into two 1 quart jars (here) up to the hip.

Use a fermentation weight (here) to press down gently to ensure your salsa stays below the brine.

Add fermentation lids (here) and screw on tight.

Let sit in a room temperature dark place for at least 2 days (I prefer 3) to ferment.

Once opened and sampled, place in the fridge for up to 3 months.

No time to ferment? No problem! Serve this easy pico de gallo recipe fresh, a couple hours after making it!

Easy Fermented Pico De Gallo Salsa

Delicious authentic Pico de Gallo Salsa, that is fermented to give your gut a boost!

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Prep Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

5 medium vine ripe fresh tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
2 bunches of fresh cilantro don’t skip!
2 jalapenos seeded and spines removed if wanting a milder taste
2 ¼ teaspoons of Himalayan salt
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or lime juice

Instructions

This makes two batches of salsa. Trust me you’ll want them both! Dice all fresh produce and add to a large bowl or pulse them a couple of times in a food processor, make sure to keep it chunky! Try to salvage as much liquid from the tomatoes as possible, as this will help create the brine. Transfer the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon until fully combined. Divide up evenly and place into two 1 quart jars (here) up to the hip. Use a fermentation weight (here) to press down gently to ensure your salsa stays below the brine. Add fermentation lids (here) and screw on tight. Let sit in a room temperature dark place for at least 2 days (I prefer 3) to ferment. Once opened and sampled, place in the fridge for up to 3 months.