Fresh Pico de Gallo
- PREP 20min
- TOTAL 20min
Pico de gallo is a fresh tomato salsa popular in Mexico (also known as salsa Mexicano, salsa fresca, and salsa cruda). Use ripe tomatoes for this, and look for tomatoes that are deeply colored and heavy for their size. If they don’t smell like anything, skip them. They should smell like a tomato (sweet and woody). Serve with Homemade Tortilla Chips!
You Will Need
1 ½ pounds of tomatoes, chopped, 4 to 5 medium (680g)
1 medium onion, chopped, about ⅔ cup
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced, remove seeds and membranes for a mild salsa
½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves (15g)
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste
Directions
1Soak the onions: This is optional, but to remove the raw bite of your onion, add the chopped onion to a bowl with cold water. Leave for 10 minutes, drain and rinse.
2Make the salsa: Add the tomatoes, soaked and rinsed onion, cilantro, diced peppers, and lime juice to a bowl. Generously season with salt (start with ½ teaspoon and go from there). Set aside for 20 minutes.
3To finish: Stir to distribute the juices left at the bottom of the bowl. Taste and adjust with more salt. Serve!
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: Pico de gallo is best the day you make it, but leftovers will keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. In his book, “Authentic Mexican,” Rick Bayless says that a fresh salsa like pico de gallo is at its best for an hour or two. We agree, but I must admit that we’ve still been plenty happy with this recipe after a few days in the fridge.
- Spicy salsa: Increase to 2 jalapeño peppers. You can also swap the jalapeños for a serrano pepper, which packs a bit more heat. Also, remember it is the seeds and white membrane inside the pepper that hold most of the heat, so leave that in for more spice.
- Fun fact: Pico de gallo translates to “rooster’s beak,” but there’s not really a consensus for why.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.