If you love tortilla chips and salsa, then this Pico de Gallo recipe is for you. Its made with just a ufew simple ingredients- tomatoes, onion, peppers, cilantro, lime and salt.
Why You Should Make Pico de Gallo
Pico de gallo, aka “salsa bandera” is an ancient and well-known dish of Aztec cuisine from several regions of Mexico. To this day, it’s an important part Mexican culture.
It’s an easy to make dish that’s eaten scooped up with tortilla chips, as a side dish, or on top of tacos or inside of burritos.
Its great for summer barbeques or picnics, no cooking needed! I absolutely love making it because it’s so quick and easy, yet so incredibly delicious.
If you have never made it before, don’t worry, it’s one of those recipes you don’t need to be a master chef to make!
About This Recipe
The recipe here is an authentic Pico De Gallo recipe, but you really can make this recipe your own.
The measurements that I have provided are a guideline. If you like it extra spicy, just add in a bit more diced peppers. If you choose not to add cilantro, feel free to leave it out.
My favorite thing about Pico de Gallo is that you can make it exactly the way you like it.
How to Make Pico de Gallo
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 1 small red or white onion
- 1 small bunch cilantro, about 1/4 cup finely chopped
- 1 small Jalapeño or Serrano pepper. (If these kinds of peppers are not available where you live, other peppers may be substituted.)
- Juice of 1 lime. ( Lemon may be used, or a combination of both lime and lemon)
- 1 tsp sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Dice the tomatoes to about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) Finely chop the onion, and dice the Jalapeño pepper. If you prefer a milder Pico de Gallo, remove the seeds from the Jalapeño before chopping.
- Place the tomatoes, onion, Jalapeño, and cilantro in a mixing bowl and gently combine using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
- Squeeze the fresh lime juice over the ingredients, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Before adding the lime juice, place the vegetable mixture into a colander or mesh wire sieve. Then return it to the bowl that you mixed it in.
- Traditionally, Pico de Gallo is not drained of the juices that accumulate as it marinates. The salt draws water out of the vegetables, so some cooks will drain the extra liquid before adding the lime juice. Its up to you if you want to do drain off the excess juices.
- Its important not to press down on the mixture as this will crush the vegetables. At this point you can add the lime juice.
How to Serve and Store
- Serve Pico de Gallo as a dip with tortilla chips or as a side dish with any Mexican cuisine.
- If you are making this recipe for more than 2 people, you may want to double the recipe, especially if you’re serving it as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
- If you’re serving it as a topping for tacos or burritos or any other Mexican dish, then it will serve 4 people. Just be sure to place a slotted spoon into the serving bowl.
- It keeps well in the refrigerator in a glass bowl, covered, for up to 5 days.
- I don’t recommend freezing since it will become mushy once it’s thawed out.
About the Ingredients and Tips
In authentic Pico de Gallo recipes, white onions are commonly used because they are sweeter and less pungent than typical yellow onions. In this recipe I used red onion, also known as purple onion.
I recommend using either red or white onions. However, there are so many types of onions, so choose one that you like; according to what is available in your area.
The amount of each ingredient can be adjusted, so the recipe that I have provided is a guideline.
You can add more or less of each ingredient according to your taste. And just about any variety of tomatoes, peppers or onion can be used.
Roma tomatoes are also typically used for Pico de Gallo because they have a firm texture.
As with the peppers and onions, you can use other types of tomatoes, such as tomatoes on the vine, heirloom tomatoes. Even Cherry or Grape Tomatoes would also be delicious if you like sweeter tomatoes.
The type of tomato that I really wouldn’t recommend are beefsteak tomatoes since these often have a mushy texture and do not always the best flavor. However, this can differ according to where you buy them. And definitely if they are homegrown then this can also impact the flavor and texture.
Whatever type of tomatoes you choose, be sure that they are not overripe or too soft. The secrest for the best Pico de Gallo is to use the freshest ingredients you can find.
Some limes can be a little dry inside, so if you find that your limes are not very juicy, you can use 2. When I shop for limes I always buy a couple of extra ones just in case.
If your limes are very large, only juice half and use that to start with. You can always add more if you need a bit more lime flavor.
Lemon can also be substituted for the lime, or for a different and interesting flavor profile, use half lime and half lemon.
Cilantro is the only ingredient that there is no substitute for since it has its own unique flavor. Some people will use parsley as a replacement, but it doesn’t work well for Pico de Gallo. I love Cilantro and I like to use a lot of it , but if you dont enjoy the flavor of it, you can omit it from the recipe.
Traditional Pico de Gallo
Equipment
- 1 Chef's knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 colander or sieve optional
Ingredients
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 red or white onion If onion is very small, use 1 whole onion
- 1 small bunch cilantro. about 1/4 cup finely chopped
- 1 small Jalapeño or Serrano pepper. other peppers may be substituted
- juice of 1 lime Lemon may be substituted
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Dice the tomatoes to about 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) Finely chop the onion, and dice the jalapeño pepper. If you prefer a milder Pico de Gallo, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before chopping.
- Cut the thicker stems from the cilantro and finely chop.
- Place the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Squeeze the fresh lime juice over the ingredients, sprinkle with salt and toss to combine.
- For the best flavor, marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Serve as a dip with tortilla chips or as a side dish with a slotted spoon placed into the serving bowl. Pico de gallo keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Traditionally, Pico de Gallo is not drained of the juices that accumulate as it marinates. The salt draws water out of the vegetables, so some cooks will drain the extra liquid before adding the lime juice. So its up to you if you want to drain off the excess juices.
- Before adding the lime juice, just place the vegetable mixture into a colander or mesh wire sieve. Then return it to the bowl that you mixed it in.
