In most Mexican-American restaurants, pico de gallo refers to rugged salsa, but in Tucson, it is something altogether different. This “beak of the rooster” is a bouquet of watermelon, coconut, pineapple, mango, and jicama that gets spritzed with lime juice and liberally sprinkled with a red-hot chili-powder mix. It is a heady fusion that can either marshal taste buds to attention for the meal to come or soothe them after a fiery meal just eaten.
Refreshing fruit, Sonoran-style: Pico de gallo as served at the Tucson restaurant that calls itself Pico de Gallo.