Pico de Gallo (A Fruit Salad)

For years I have been making variations of this recipe from A Gringo’s Guide to Authentic Mexican Cooking by Mad Coyote Joe (2001).  In the American southwest, we usually think of pico de gallo as a salsa, which it is in Juarez, Mexico.  But, according to Mad Coyote Joe, pico do gallo, which means "beak of a rooster," is a different dish in different parts of Mexico.  His recipe for a refreshing fruit salad comes from Sonora.  He writes that it “is served on hot days and is eaten by picking at the bowl with your thumb and forefinger, resembling the rooster’s beak.”

Here I share his recipe with my modifications.  Let your imagination and the food available in your refrigerator be your guide.  And, don’t worry about measuring the ingredients.  Whatever proportions you have will work just fine.

Today, I made my pico de gallo with honeydew, mango, jicima, and cucumber.

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss and let stand, covered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour before serving.  It will last a couple of days.

• 3 cups ripe melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, or a mix) cut into 1-inch cubes or formed into balls with a melon scoop
• 2 cups tropical fruits (pineapple, papaya, mango, oranges, or a mix of two or three) cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 small jicima, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into ½-inch cubes
• a handful of chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced (if you prefer a hotter type of pepper, use it)
• Juice of 1 large lime