I’ve made this pico de gallo recipe more times than I didI’m always glad I did it! This recipe is quick and easy, and with some simple tips, you can make it taste truly authentic.
Pico de Gallo is a classic Mexican fresh salsa made from simple fresh ingredients such as tomatoes, onions, coriander and jalapeno. My family loves it and we’ve been doing it all the time! It works very well and fits well with tacos, burritos inside as well as the top of the rice bowl. This is an epic homemade tortilla chips, and if you are making it, it’s great next to homemade avocado sauce!
I have two tips, the best Pico de Gallo! First, dip the onions in cold water for 10 minutes, rinse them, and mix them with the remaining salsa ingredients. This simple trick gives the onion a primitive flavor and reduces the onion’s breathing. Second, you really want to season the Pico de Gallo with salt and let it sit for 20 minutes before serving. The salt gives off a flavor and liquid from the tomatoes and is under the bite of the onion. Worth waiting!
Key Ingredients
- Fresh tomatoes: Choose ripe, juicy tomatoes and chop them up. When tomatoes sit with other ingredients, especially salt, they release some amazing juices, which makes our Pico de Gallo even more delicious.
- onion: When I find them is the most realistic option, I can use white onions, but you can swap them for yellow or sweet onions. To tame raw onions, dip the chopped onions in cold water for 10 minutes and rinse. (I also use this trick for our avocado sauce recipe!)
- Jalapeno or Serrano Chili: Heat and more flavor. For mild salsa, remove the seeds and white membrane inside the pepper. For spicy pico de Gallo, leave some or all of the seeds and membrane in.
- Coriander and lime: Fresh cilantro and lemon squeeze is a real taste. A little salt will also brighten everything.
Provide advice
Pair the Pico de Gallo with homemade tortillas (really easy, they taste great!). Or pour the spoon over your favorite tacos, enchilada filling and rice bowl. I especially love these fresh salsa sauces, these breakfast tacos, our simple pork tacos, and scrambled eggs.
You can also serve with other salsa sauces. Try our roasted tomato salsa, quick and easy red salsa or my favorite roasted tomato salsa.
Fresh pico de gallo
Pico de Gallo is a fresh tomato salsa salsa popular in Mexico (also known as Mexican salsa, salsa Fresca and salsa Cruda). Use ripe tomatoes for this and look for tomatoes to make them dark and firm and give a little bit. If they don’t smell like anything, skip them. They should smell like tomatoes (sweet and woody).
Make 8 servings or about 3 cups
Watch us make recipes
You will need
1½ pounds of tomatoes, chopped, 4 to 5 medium
1 medium onion, chopped, about 2/3 cup
1 to 2 jalapeno or serrano peppers, diced, seeds and membrane removed, with milder salsa sauce
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 lime juice
Salt seasoning
direction
1Optional steps: To remove the original bite from the onion, add the chopped onion to a cold water bowl. Leave for 10 minutes, drain and rinse.
2Add tomatoes, onions, coriander, diced pepper and lime juice to a bowl. Season generously with salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and start from there). Keep the Pico de Gallo aside for 20 minutes.
3Stir to spread the juice on the left side of the bottom of the bowl. Taste and adjust with more salt. Serve!
4The Pico de Gallo is the best day, but it will be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- How long did Pico de Gallo last? Rick Bayless says in his book The Authentic Mexican that fresh salsa like Pico de Gallo is best for an hour or two. We agree, but I must admit that after a day in the fridge we are still happy with this recipe. You lose some crunch over time, but it still tastes great.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1/4 cup
/
Calories
33
/
protein
1 g
/
carbohydrate
8 g
/
Dietary fiber
2 g
/
Total sugar
4 g
/
Total fat
0 g
/
Saturated fat
0 g
/
cholesterol
0 mg
We are Adam and Joanne, a couple who are passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? Inspire you to enter the kitchen and cook fresh and delicious meals confidently.
