Salsa, pico de gallo good on everything

I probably serve salsa twice a week, particularly in warmer weather. I make mango salsa for chicken and roasted salmon, avocado salsa for all kinds of grilled fish, strawberry salsa for beets and mozzarella, and bell pepper-celery salsa for just about everything. Those are all what I think of as pick-up dishes: I pick up whatever’s in the refrigerator or ripening on the counter; cut it into small dice; add onion, tomatoes, seasonings, herbs if I’ve got them, a little oil and a lot of citrus juice or vinegar. I never measure. I always taste as I go. And I never make the same thing exactly the same way twice.

I also have never made salsa’s fresh and less-juicy cousin, pico de gallo, which is Spanish for “rooster’s beak.” Or if I did, I didn’t know I was doing it. In fact, I hadn’t thought about the fresh relish since forever, and then I had it three days in a row and wanted to have it every day thereafter.

My pico de gallo moment came at Lake Austin Spa Resort, where I’d gone to teach French cooking. Although all the spa’s food from chef Stephane Beauchamp was thoughtful, beautiful and luscious, I loved the mix-and-match lunch. On Day 1, I had: shrimp, freekeh, kale, bok choy (because it came from the spa’s garden) and pico de gallo. The shrimp and pico de gallo were what I craved when I got home.

At home, I put my latest salsa over freekeh, of course, and also over quinoa and brown rice. All good. But my favorite combo was grilled corn tortilla, shredded cabbage or lettuce, avocado mash, shrimp sauteed with Old Bay Seasoning and lime, with the pineapple salsa.

Dorie Greenspan’s Shrimp and Tomato-Pineapple Salsa Tacos

4 servings.

If you opt to serve the tacos using corn tortillas, Dorie Greenspan says it’s nice to heat them over a gas fire or in a dry skillet before serving.

MAKE AHEAD: The salsa can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day in advance. The avocado mash can be refrigerated for up to 4 hours in advance.

For the salsa:

12 ounces grape tomatoes or ripe Roma tomatoes

½ to ⅔ cup diced or chopped red onion (from ½ medium onion), rinsed in cold water and patted dry (see headnote)

½ cup seeded, diced or chopped red bell pepper (from ½ pepper)

⅓ cup chopped fresh pineapple

2 cloves garlic (germ removed), minced

¼ seeded jalapeño pepper, minced, or more as needed

1½ tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes), or more as needed

½ teaspoon fine sea salt, or more as needed

Hot sauce (optional)

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

For the avocado mash:

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime, or more as needed

Fine sea salt

¼-inch slice seeded jalapeño pepper, minced

Flesh of 2 ripe avocados

For the shrimp:

1 pound medium or large raw shrimp (defrosted if frozen), peeled, deveined and patted dry

1½ tablespoons olive oil

Pinch Old Bay Seasoning or chili powder, or more as needed

Pinch fine sea salt, or more as needed

Squirt fresh lime juice, or more as needed

For serving:

Corn tortillas (see headnote) or romaine lettuce leaves (for wraps)

Shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg; may substitute shredded cabbage)

Hot sauce

For the salsa: If you’re using grape tomatoes, cut each one into quarters. For larger tomatoes, hull them, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds if you like (Dorie says she always skips this step), then cut them into large dice.

Toss the tomatoes and whatever juices are on the cutting board into a mixing bowl. Add the red onion (to taste), red bell pepper, pineapple, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice and the salt; toss to incorporate; taste and add more jalapeño, lime juice, salt and hot sauce, if using. (You’ll add the cilantro just before serving.) The yield is about 3 cups. Let it sit at room temperature while you assemble the dish, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. (As the salsa rests it will become juicier; the closer to serving time that you can make this, the better.)

For the avocado mash: Combine the lime zest and juice in a medium bowl, then stir in a pinch of salt and the jalapeño. Add the avocado and press with a fork to form a chunky mash, making sure the juice is well-distributed. Taste, and add lime juice and/or salt as needed. Let it sit while you finish the dish, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

For the shrimp: Toss together the shrimp, oil, Old Bay Seasoning or chili powder, salt and lime juice in a medium bowl.

Heat a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp mixture; cook, turning the shrimp once, just until they are pink, opaque and cooked through, 3 to 6 minutes (depending on how cold they were). Turn off the heat.

Wash and dry the bowl the raw shrimp were in; return the cooked shrimp to that bowl and squeeze a little lime juice over them. Taste, and season with more juice, salt and/or Old Bay or chili powder, as needed.

When ready to serve, put separate bowls of the salsa, avocado mash, shrimp, tortillas or romaine leaves, shredded lettuce and hot sauce on the table. (Just before serving, stir the cilantro into the salsa; taste, and add lime juice, jalapeño or seasonings, as needed. Serve with a slotted spoon, in case the salsa has gotten juicy.)

Let everyone build their own dinner, mixing up the components any which way they want.

Nutrition Per serving (using half the salsa and 4 tortillas): 320 calories, 26 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 17 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 185 mg cholesterol, 440 mg sodium, 7 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar