The Bluster and the Burrow
Easy Fermented Pico de Gallo Recipe
This fermented pico de gallo recipe delivers a vibrant, tangy twist on a Mexican classic. Packed with probiotic benefits and easy to prepare, it's perfect for topping tacos, dipping chips, or adding a flavorful kick to your favorite dishes.
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Equipment
- Quart-sized Mason Jar
- Wide Mouth Funnel
- Vegetable Fermentation Tamper
Ingredients
- 4-5 roma tomatoes
- 1 white onion
- 3 cloves fermented garlic
- juice from one lime
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 1-2 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 cup cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the roma tomatoes and Serrano pepper, being sure not to use any cleanser. We want the naturally occurring bacteria to be present for fermentation.
- Dice 4-5 roma tomatoes and 1 white onion.
- Place into a large bowl with room to mix.
- Mince 3 cloves fermented garlic and 1 Serrano pepper and add to bowl.
- Squeeze juice from one lime over the salsa.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of salt over the salsa and stir.
- Taste with a clean spoon. The salsa should taste a little salty, but not overly salty. If it does not, add another teaspoon of salt.
- Stir thoroughly and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes so that the salt will pull water from the vegetables to create a brine.
- Using a wide-mouth quart mason jar and a wide-mouth funnel, spoon salsa into the jar.
- With fermentation tamper, push the salsa down to pack and push the brine over the salsa
- Add remaining salsa and pack down as you go
- Once all of the salsa is in the jar, press down with the tamping tool one more time and add your fermenting weight on top. If any vegetables float up past the weight, scoop them up and discard them so that they don’t potentially mold.
- If the brine doesn’t go over all the salsa, you can add a little filtered water, either bottled or from the refrigerator. You do not want to use chlorinated tap water because the chlorine can inhibit the growth of the good bacteria.
- Add your regular or fermenting lid.
- I prefer a fermenting lid because you don’t have to worry about burping the jar and disturbing the weight. The lid lets out the carbon dioxide through the valve on top.
- Place the jar in a dark place for 2-3 days
- The next day, there shouldn’t be any visible changes unless you’re in a very warm environment.
- On the second day, check for tiny bubbles forming in the brine. Taste the salsa. If it tastes good to you, you can eat it.
- On day three, you should see more bubbles. Taste the salsa. It should have a more fermented tang and a slight alcoholic smell.
- Once it is done fermenting to your taste, pour the amount you want to eat into a bowl
- Add ½ to 1 cup cilantro
- Stir and taste for seasoning then enjoy!
- Replace fermenting lid with regular lid and refrigerate.
Notes
- You can always add more or omit any vegetables that you don’t like, but it is important for the salt level to stay as printed in the recipe to allow the lactobacillus bacteria to flourish and any bad bacteria to be suppressed.
- Fermentation time can vary based on the time of year (summer vs. winter) and the temperature in your home. Food ferments quicker in warm weather and slower in cooler weather. Two to three days is a general timeline, but you should look for tiny bubbles in the pico de gallo to show that fermentation is occurring. The bubbles are from the bacteria releasing carbon dioxide as it ferments the pico. If you see bubbles forming, your fermentation is progressing well.
- All of the vegetables need to be submerged under the brine. The brine keeps the pico de gallo from being able to mold. After you place the fermentation lid on top, if any bits of vegetables float up, gently scoop them off with a spoon.
- If you open the lid and there is mold, do not eat it. Discard it and sanitize your mason jar and lid. Since this is a quick ferment, it is unlikely to happen, but you don’t want to ingest anything fuzzy.
- Ferments have a naturally mild alcoholic smell and sometimes flavor, depending on how long it has been fermenting. If it smells bad, do not eat it. It’s better to be safe rather than sorry.
Nutrition
Calories: 36kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 784mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1068IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 0.5mg
