The Unique Salsa Aldi Customers Can't Stop Raving About
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Over the last decade or so, it seems like pickle-flavored foods and beverages keep popping up all over — from pickle vodka to dill pickle popcorn seasoning (per Reader's Digest). Amazon alone will sell you over 30 different brands of pickle chips; that's pickle-flavored potato chips, not to be confused with freeze-dried sliced pickle chips or the air-fryer fried pickle chips that have made the rounds on menus and kitchen counters in recent years.
If you've graduated from pickle-flavored potatoes but aren't quite ready to experience the icy sourness of pickle popsicles, Aldi carries a briny cucumber creation in the refrigerated section that attempts to show the preserved vegetables in a new light. Grillo's Pickle de Gallo is a "pickle-based salsa" that has some fans of the supermarket chain delighted and others confused. One Instagram user posted a photo of the salsas, prompting a commenter to ask, "I want to try it but how do you eat it?? Or what do you eat it with?" On Twitter, an Aldi shopper seems to have come up with a potential solution, writing, "if you dip a Cool Ranch Dorito in it, it will not hurt your feelings." And an Instagram post from Grillo's finds Pickle de Gallo sensibly spooned over tacos for Taco Tuesday.
While a hot version of Pickle de Gallo exists, Aldi is sticking to selling the medium and mild varieties as seasonal items. But what exactly goes into making pickle salsa, and what if you're still on the fence?
Pickle salsa: Briny in a good way?
Pickle de Gallo, a pun on pico de gallo salsa, is produced by the brand behind cult-favorite Grillo's Classic Dill Pickle Spears. Grillo's Dill Spears made the top five of Mashed's worst-to-best ranking of 15 jarred dill pickle spears, which were prized for being "fancy, healthy, and just fun to eat." Like the Spears, Pickle de Gallo is made with "clean ingredients." But instead of the typical tomatoes, you'll find diced dill pickles laced with finely chopped garlic, onions, and either jalapeño and habanero or red bell peppers, sitting in a salt and vinegar brine bath.
While the product certainly seems to have gained a following, some say it's more for pickle fans than salsa connoisseurs. The r/SalsaSnobs subreddit lampooned the product as "basically just relish." Meanwhile, non-salsa-based boards on Reddit had comments like "this stuff is the beeeest." In a win for Team Relish, Grillo's highlights hot dogs among its recommended Pickle de Gallo pairings. Redditors also recommended the zesty mixture as a fold-in for really easy tartar sauce, zero chopping required, and as an ingredient in tuna salad. Whether you consider it a relish or salsa, at least Pickle de Gallo seems to have plenty of potential uses.