Mango and Habanero Pico de Gallo

History & Origin

Mango and habanero pico de gallo is a salsa born at the cultural crossroads of the Yucatán, the Caribbean and Texas, where the influence of tropical flavours blends with the tradition of fresh salsas from northern Mexico. The original pico de gallo - tomato, onion, coriander and serrano chilli - is a simple and universal preparation throughout Mexico, but in the coastal and tropical regions there was always a tradition of adding tropical fruits to salsas to create that sweet-hot contrast so characteristic of the Mexican Caribbean. Mango entered this recipe naturally: its sweetness and juiciness contrast perfectly with the heat of the habanero, one of Mexico's hottest chillies, native to the Yucatán Peninsula. In the Tex-Mex tradition, this combination became popular in the 1990s when fashionable restaurants in Houston, Miami and Los Angeles began incorporating Caribbean flavours into their fusion cuisine menus. Mango and habanero salsa became the perfect accompaniment for grilled meats, fish tacos and upmarket nachos. Today it appears on Tex-Mex restaurant menus worldwide and is sold bottled in supermarkets. Made at home with perfectly ripe mango, fresh habanero chilli and freshly chopped coriander, this salsa achieves levels of freshness and flavour that no commercial version can match.