Cucumber Pico de Gallo

This Cucumber Pico de Gallo is a delicious and refreshing salsa, perfect for hot summer day snacking! It's also tasty served over fish or chicken. Bonus? It's a great way to use lots of home garden veggies, too!

Why You'll Love This Cucumber Salsa

• It's super fresh and light, pairing so deliciously with salty tortilla chips!
• Cucumbers pair almost surprisingly well with traditional pico de gallo ingredients!
• If your garden has produced an abundance of cucumbers like mine, leaving you looking for new ways to enjoy them - this is it!
• This cucumber salsa is a slightly different taste on an enjoyable classic, perfect for summer parties or even early tailgating!

Featured Ingredients

• Cucumbers: English cucumbers, or other seedless varieties, work best! You can substitute any kind of cucumber though, just follow instructions below for de-seeding.
• Tomatoes: A classic pico de gallo staple. Roma tomatoes work great, but use what you have access to. Instructions are below on how to de-seed your tomatoes so your pico de gallo isn't soupy.
• Red Onion: A little goes a long way, but adds a perfect pop of flavor (and color!)
• Jalapeno: Adds great flavor! De-seed and cut out the interior membranes to decrease the heat.
• Cilantro: I know cilantro is polarizing, but it adds so much flavor to this pico!
• Lime: Brings some delicious flavor and brightens the whole salsa.

Kitchen Equipment Needed

You don't need any fancy kitchen tools here, just the basics:

• Cutting board
• Chef's knife
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Citrus squeezer
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon

Alternatively, if you prefer to use one of the trendy chopper tools, this is a great recipe to do so! It would definitely speed up the time it takes to make this recipe, since the most time-consuming aspect is the chopping.

How to Make Cucumber Pico de Gallo

1. Chop: While this is a simple recipe, chopping is the bulk of the time to make it! If you don't feel like chopping everything by hand, try using a trendy vegetable chopper.
2. Combine: Add all your chopped ingredients to a bowl, squeeze over your lime juice, and stir.
3. Season: Add salt to taste. If you're going to be eating it with tortilla chips, taste it with tortilla chips - they're salty! You'll likely find not much (if any!) salt is needed in the pico when paired with salty chips.
4. Serve: and enjoy!

How to De-Seed Tomatoes

To de-seed roma tomatoes, start by slicing the tomato in half length-wise. Use a spoon to gently scrape out the seedy, juicy insides and discard.

If you're using cucumbers with seeds, this same method can be used to de-seed your cucumbers, too!

Recipe Q&A

What cucumbers can I use besides English cucumbers?

Try substituting small, Persian cucumbers or another seedless option. If you have cucumbers that have seeds, follow the tomato de-seeding instructions above to de-seed your cucumbers, too.

Do the jalapenos make this really spicy?

This cucumber pico de gallo is definitely not considered spicy. To get the flavor of jalapenos without any heat, slice the jalapeno in half and remove all the membranes and seeds. That's where most of the heat is stored!

Can I use bottled lime juice?

Yes, use 2 tablespoons of lime juice to equal the juice of one lime.

What can I substitute for cilantro?

If you're someone who doesn't like cilantro, leave it out or try substituting some chopped fresh parsley.

Storage

Cucumber pico de gallo can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Note that it's best fresh! The longer it sits, the more juices leech out of the fresh cucumber and tomato and the more "soupy" the pico can get.

For food safety purposes, if the pico de gallo has been sitting out for several hours and/ or has had a lot of dipping into it, I would discard any remnants to avoid the risk of foodborne illness.

What to Serve with Cucumber Pico de Gallo

Any kind of tortilla chip is delicious with this pico! You can dip other veggies into it, too, like mini bell peppers.

Alternatively you can serve cucumber pico on top of other dishes, like grilled chicken or salmon.

More Healthy Dip & Snack Recipes:

• Roasted Red Pepper Dip (Htipiti)
• Healthy Pizza Dip
• Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip

More Cucumber Recipes:

• Cucumber Mint Agua Fresca
• Pineapple Cucumber Smoothie
• Cucumber Mediterranean Salad
• Carrot and Cucumber Salad (Asian-Inspired)
• Cucumber Chickpea Salad
• How to Freeze Cucumbers

Did you make this recipe? Give it a 5★ rating below! For more healthy recipes and tips to create your own balanced relationship with food and health, be sure to follow Nutrition to Fit on Instagram!