Pico de Gallo that my husband will eat

My husband doesn’t like any kind of spicy heat at all.  At home in the US, he rarely eats Pico de Gallo.  But when we are in Costa Rica, well, let’s just say he had a healthy appetite for the Pico de Gallo he got there.

So during lunch one day, I asked the guide we were with how they made their Pico de Gallo.  The main difference seems to be using sweet pepper instead of jalapeño (or any hot pepper), and using lime juice.

(Pardon the photo quality, I was in a cabin in Costa Rica with not great light)

Steve also preferred the Picos that had a smaller dice.  In addition to the sweet pepper, I also picked up sweet onion.  Amounts were purely by starting with one tomato, then eyeballing it so that the amounts of onion and pepper basically looked like the Pico de Gallos he had been eating.

I added lime juice, and a little salt to taste.

I then made Steve taste it, and it was still a little sharp.  I thought about how I add a tablespoon of sugar to my lasagne sauce, and I know a lot of people add a little sugar to anything with tomato.  So I added just a little sugar and the flavor was there.  Finally, the Pico really benefits from sitting for about 30 minutes to meld the flavors.

Steve’s Pico de Gallo

1 large beefsteak tomato, diced into 1/4 inch dice (at most 1/2 inch)

1/4 to 1/2 sweet onion, diced into 1/4 inch dice

1/4 to 1/2 sweet pepper (Anaheim chilis work nicely), 1/4 inch dice (remove ribs and seeds)

Juice of 1/2 lime, or whole lime if smaller

1 scant teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste.  Combine, taste, and adjust.  Let sit 30 minutes to meld the flavors.