More Healthy Salad Recipes
Pico de Gallo - Fresh Tomato Salsa
Pico de gallo is one of my favourite ways to add a fresh, zesty hit to just about anything. I mix diced tomatoes, red onion, coriander, lime juice, and a little chilli for brightness and crunch. It’s quick to throw together and works beautifully with tacos, grilled meats, eggs, or even just scooped up with corn chips. I keep it in the fridge whenever I’m meal prepping – it’s simple, vibrant, and makes every bite taste that little bit better.
Ingredients
- 500g tomatoes, finely diced
- 150g roasted red peppers, finely diced
- 1 large red onion, finely diced
- Juice of one lime
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt
- 1 small bunch coriander, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a small bowl, cover the red onions in ice-cold water. Set aside for 30 minutes.
- In a large colander set over a bowl, season the tomatoes with the salt and allow to rest for one hour. Discard excess juices.
- Strain off onions, and add to tomatoes.
- Add peppers, coriander, and lime juice and toss through until well mixed.
- Season with salt to taste.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Amount Per Serving: Calories: 31Total Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 239mgCarbohydrates: 6.9gFiber: 1.4gSugar: 4.7gProtein: 0.9g
Want to know when I share a new recipe? Subscribe today!
Pico de Gallo – Fresh Tomato Salsa
Salad and Escapism
One of my absolute favourite ways to decompress is by making a salad. Not just any salad, mind you. A proper, lovingly prepped, finely chopped situation. Pico de Gallo, also known as fresh tomato salsa, is one of those things I treat with as much reverence as one might a Sunday roast. It’s not just a side dish – it’s a ritual. I spend time with each tomato, dicing it finely, scattering over a good pinch of salt, and then popping it into a sieve to rest. It sits there for a good hour, draining away all that watery juice, leaving behind something so much more flavourful. It’s the difference between a soggy disappointment and a bright, punchy salsa that makes your tacos sing.
There’s something quietly therapeutic about this process. I don’t rush it. I chop, I pause, I sniff the coriander like a weirdo, and I take my time. And right now, when life feels a bit like a slow-motion train wreck, this kind of meditative, tactile cooking feels like the only thing I’ve got control over. The last six months have been a blur, really. Covid turned the world upside down, and I found myself stuck in a situation I was trying to leave. I’d been planning a move – just me and Maia, my little black cat. We were going to set up shop in Paisley, near my best friend., but the world shut down, and I got stuck. And so I make salsa. A lot of it.
Salad is a way to reclaim a sliver of joy. Each ingredient I choose for its colour, its brightness, its crunch. Because let’s be honest, sometimes a chopped onion and a chilli can feel like hope. Sometimes, tacos can mean more than just dinner.
Cooking Through the Chaos
I freaking love tacos. Doesn’t matter what the weather’s doing, or what season we’re in. Right now, we’re in the depths of a grey Scottish autumn, and the last flickers of summer are just a memory. And not even a good one, let’s be real. That summer was spent indoors, the world locked down, everything uncertain. But tacos? Tacos bring me back to life. They give me something to look forward to. They bring colour and texture and flavour when everything else feels flat. So even when I am meant to be chained to my home office desk, I’m in the kitchen making batch after batch of taco toppings. Sweet pickled onions. Creamy guac. And of course, this Pico de Gallo.
I think what I love most is the complexity of it all – the moving parts. It’s a food that lets me get lost in the kitchen, lost in my own head. And when your own house feels like a prison, when you’re walking on eggshells trying not to wake the sleeping giant on the sofa, that kind of escape matters. I’ll chop tomatoes and dream about a life where I was free. Me and Maia, in a tiny flat. Cupboards full of spices, sunshine on the counter. Not tiptoeing around someone who doesn’t notice, doesn’t care. As long as I was cooking, cleaning, and paying the bills so he could sit there with his video games, he’s happy. I’m not.
But tacos don’t ask questions. They just offer themselves up for joy. For nourishment. For play. So I let myself enjoy that. I let myself pile up warm tortillas and ladle on my fresh salsa. I let myself laugh a little when the coriander gets stuck to everything. I find a tiny pocket of happiness in every juicy bite.
Ingredients Breakdown
It all starts with tomatoes, which make up the bulk of the dish and set the tone for everything else. They need to be ripe and full of flavour, not those sad watery ones that taste like nothing. Once they’re diced and salted, I let them rest to intensify their flavour. This step is everything. If the tomatoes are good, the whole salsa sings. Add in some red onion, finely chopped, for a sharp contrast. It brings bite and attitude but mellows just enough once it mingles with the lime juice. You want it present, not overpowering.
Roasted red peppers are my not-so-secret weapon. They add sweetness and smokiness that rounds everything out. They’re soft, rich, and they sit beautifully alongside the tomatoes. A good handful of coriander follows – bright, fresh, and fragrant. I know not everyone’s a fan, but I can’t imagine this salsa without it. It adds that hit of green that makes the whole thing taste alive. Then comes the lime juice, fresh and zingy. It wakes everything up and ties all those big flavours together.
And finally, the salt. Good sea salt, flaky if I’ve got it, goes in at the end to make everything pop. It’s not just about seasoning – it brings out the natural flavour in each ingredient and makes the whole bowl feel balanced. When it’s all tossed together, it’s vibrant and crunchy and zingy and fresh. Honestly, I could eat it with a spoon straight from the bowl.
