If you haven’t made homemade Pico de Gallo then today is your day! This is a classic Mexican recipe that only uses a handful of ingredients including fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeño, lime juice and salt. Easy and so tasty.
Pico de Gallo is the best to top on tacos, enchiladas, burritos, salads or dip your favorite tortilla chips in. It tastes fresh and really adds another dimension to anything you put it on.
Pico de Gallo
Pico de gallo translates to “beak of rooster” in spanish but there is no concrete answer as to why. Either way, it is a delicious and healthy addition to so many things. When I serve it is always quick to disappear.
You might be wondering what that difference is between pico de gallo and salsa. Pico de gallo is a chunkier type salsa made with fresh ingredients while salsa tends to be more of a pureed texture.
Don’t be alarmed that this recipe calls for jalapeños. You can cater the spiciness depending on how many you put in. If you want your pico to taste extra spicy than I suggest leaving in the seeds.
Ingredients
- Roma tomatoes: my favorite for this recipe because they are very meat and not too juicy in the middle, that being said, use what you have on hand or what is in season, no issue there
- White onion: again, you can use what you like or have on hand. You can also use yellow onion, sweet onion, or red onion
- Jalapenos: these give a little heat to the pico, use more or less to your liking, I normally double them!
- Cloves garlic: a little fresh garlic in this recipe goes a long way, it just adds nice flavor but it's subtle
- Lime juice: this is the acid in the recipe and is needed the bring everything together, trust me, the lime juice is magic
- Cilantro: so much flavor from one little plant, my brother-in-law hates cilantro and if you do too, you can skip it (though I recommend trying it if it's new to you!)
Recipe Instructions
- Prep the Roma tomatoes by cutting them in half long ways and remove seeds.
- Chop tomatoes and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the onion and the jalapenos and add them to the bowl.
- Mince the garlic and add it along with the lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
- Stir well to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Serve with your favorite tacos, salads, or with chips.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best tomatoes to use for Pico de Gallo?
You want to use ripe tomatoes. I prefer to use Roma tomatoes but grape or cherry tomatoes. Core the tomato and remove all of the seeds before you start chopping the tomatoes.
When I make pico de gallo it disappears rather quickly. However, if you don’t end up eating the whole batch than you can cover it and place it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Honestly, if I have a fresh batch of pico I put it on everything. It is great served with any Mexican dish like tacos, burritos and enchiladas. I love to add this fresh salsa to a salad. I’ve been known to put pico de gallo on eggs or just eat it straight from the bowl with chips. It’s seriously so good and refreshing to eat.
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Pico de Gallo
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Pico de Gallo is a fresh salsa made with ripe tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice and is the perfect addition to tacos, grilled meats, salads, or as a chip dip.
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds Roma tomatoes, about 7-8 medium Romas
- 1 small white onion
- 2 jalapenos, seeds and stems removed
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- juice from 3 limes
- ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- more salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Prep the Roma tomatoes by cutting them in half long ways (stem end to blossom end). Use your fingers to gently press out any pulpy flesh and seeds from the inside of the tomatoes.
- After you have removed the seeds, you can chop them, the more uniform the better. For this recipe I really like using my simple food chopper for all of the vegetables.
- Place the chopped tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
- Chop the onion and the jalapenos and add them to the bowl.
- Mince the garlic very finely and add it along with the lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper to the bowl.
- Stir well to combine. Give it a taste and adjust the lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Serve with your favorite tacos, salads, or with chips.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- This recipe is a great recipe to make "to taste". Love cilantro? Add more if you'd like. Want it to be spicier? Add more jalapenos or don't remove the seeds. Play with it to suite your preferences.
- If I'm serving this with tortilla chips, I'll adjust the salt and pepper after I have tasted it on a chip. If I'm serving this with taco salad or Carne Asada tacos, I'll taste it on piece of lettuce. I generally add a little more salt when I'm serving it on a salad or tacos compared to when I'm serving it with chips as the chips already have some salt to them.
- I used my favorite food chopper to make cutting all the vegetables easier and I love how even it makes everything.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Category: side
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pico de gallo, pico de gallo recipe, how to make pico de gallo, easy pico de gallo recipe
Pico de Gallo is a chunky salsa that you need to make right now! It is healthy, full of flavor and really only requires some chopping.
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