Homemade Pico de Gallo or Salsa Fresca made with fresh tomatoes, aromatics and herbs! This chunky salsa recipe is perfect for scooping with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos. One of the best Mexican side dishes for parties, it’s fresh, zesty, and easy to make!
About Pico De Gallo
Pico de Gallo is a kind of Mexican salsa but with chopped ingredients rather than pulsed or blended. It is also typically made with fresh raw tomatoes with no cooking involved, whereas tomato salsa often involves roasting the tomatoes for a more intense flavour.
Pico de gallo can be had in just about any way your mind can conceive! It is a classic dip for crunchy corn chips, it is the perfect topping for chicken, beef, or fish tacos, and it can be sprinkled on loaded nachos for extra flavor. In short, it tastes great with with just about any Mexican or Tex-Mex dish. Neat, ain't it?
Another really delish salsa recipe is this mango salsa. It is every bit as versatile as pico de gallo and really brightens up any dish it's paired with.
More Mexican dips that go with almost anything: Guacamole and refried beans with chipotle peppers.
Ingredients
INGREDIENT NOTES
1. Tomatoes: Choose ripe red (but still firm) Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine. Whatever variety you go for, make sure the tomatoes are at their freshest since they are the star ingredient of pico de gallo.
Needless to say, the other ingredients also need to be fresh and crisp plus the lime juice needs to be freshly squeezed.. this is the secret to the best pico de gallo recipe.
3. Red onions: Red onions have more of a bite than white ones, so substitute with a white one for milder flavour. However, red onions are also sweeter which makes them a great choice for raw dishes like pico de gallo. Take your pick.
Instructions
1. Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds and liquid if any. This will make for a salad that's not swimming in tons of tomato juice. Then, using a sharp knife, chop them up into small pieces.
2. Chop up the other ingredients too: the onion, garlic, cilantro, and jalapeño. If you don't want a very spicy pico, halve the jalapeño lengthwise and remove the pith and seeds with the help of a small stainless steel spoon. Then dice it into small bits.
3. Put all the chopped ingredients in a bowl and add the sea salt. Squeeze the lime into it, mix well and serve. If not serving immediately, keep in the fridge, covered with some cling foil.
Top Tips
1. A great way to intensify the flavour of the pico de gallo is to put the chopped jalapeño and garlic in a mortar and bash them up to a pulp. This releases their oils, leading to a tastier Pico.
2. Another way to deepen the flavours is to keep the salad in the fridge for an hour before serving. This resting time will make for a more cohesive and tastier salad.
Storage Instructions
Pico de gallo keeps well in the fridge for up to a day, maximum two if you want to stretch it. Don't keep it beyond that because the salad loses its freshness and the ingredients become quite limp. They will also release a lot of liquid, so don't be surprised if you find the tomatoes swimming in a sea of lemony liquid after a couple of days. Warned you!
Pico de Gallo
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Sharp knife
- Mortar and pestle optional
Ingredients
- 6 tomatoes small
- 1 red onion or white, small
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 clove garlic
- 15 sprigs cilantro
- 1 lime
- ½ tsp sea salt reduce for less salty
Instructions
- Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out most of the seeds and liquid. Chop the tomato halves into small pieces.
- Chop up the onion, jalapeño, garlic, and cilantro finely. See notes #2 and 3 below for handling the jalapeño.
- Optional step: If you want to intensify the flavours of the salad, grind the jalapeño and garlic to a pulp in a mortar and pestle, then add to the other ingredients.
- Put the chopped ingredients in a bowl and add the lime juice and sea salt. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge, covered with cling foil for up to an hour to develop the flavours.
Notes
- Choose red, ripe tomatoes that are firm but not mushy.
- For chopping the jalapeño, wear gloves as they can be hot enough sometimes to cause a burning sensation in your skin.
- If you don't want a very spicy salad, cut the jalapeño lengthwise and remove the pith and seeds before chopping the halves.
Len Waldroup says
Real pico recipe uses serrano peppers. That's why it's called pico de gallo.
Saima Zaidi says
Pico de gallo can be made with either serrano or jalapeno peppers. Traditionally, serrano peppers are used in Mexican cuisine, but jalapenos are a popular alternative since they are milder. Using jalapenos instead of serranos doesn't make the pico any less 'real'. Just my opinion, but you are welcome to use serranos if you wish. Did you make the recipe?