Want to know how to make Pico de Gallo? I'm going to show you how to make THE BEST, fast and easy, Pico de Gallo. If there were any food in the world that would win best supporting role it would definitely be Pico de Gallo salsa.
Why Pico de Gallo works.
Number one reason is its fast and has minimal ingredients. It can be thrown together in literally minutes.
- It completes anything and everything.
- It can be served as an appetizer, with an entree, a snack, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. On the side, on the top.
- Pico de gallo shines and makes every dish look & taste even better
What is the difference between Pico de Gallo and salsa?
About the ingredients
- ONION- If you are looking for a bit of fun color try using a purple onion.
- FRESH TOMATOES- while you can use any tomato you love or have on hand I recommend Roma tomatoes because they have fiber flesh great for chopping.
- JALAPENO- see notes below.
- LIME- this is a much ingredient. It helps with the acid of the tomatoes and add another dimension to the flavors of the salsa.
- GARLIC SALT- This helps give salsa the traditional garlic flavor without having chunks of garlic or overpowering the flavors of the dish.
Tips with Jalapeños
Jalapeños typically are a mild spice level. The larger the jalapeño the less spicy it is. For a no spicy pico de Gallo substitute a green bell pepper instead of a jalapeño. For a little extra kick chop the whole jalapeño- seed and all.
How do you finely chop all the ingredients?
Here is the best hack of your life. It's not just for pico de gallo (I use it several times a week) but it sure works wonder. An ONION CHOPPER! All of the ingredients literally will be chopped up small and evenly in MINUTES. They are less than $20 on amazon. Here is the one I'm loving right now.
- If you have any kind of pain in your hands
- dull knives
- dont enjoy cutting and lack knife skills
- want the pico done quickly- this is for you!
How to make homemade pico de Gallo
Step 1. start with your tomatoes.
Step 2. add your onion, jalapeño
PRO TIP: With pico de gallo you really can eye ball your ingredients around how much tomatoes you have. Chop your tomatoes, then add in your onion and jalapeno.
Step 3: Add in your cilantro, lots of lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
Step 4: Let your pico gallo rest for at least 15 minutes.
This step gives the flavors time to marry and brings out their best. As the tomatoes and remaining ingredients rest, the salt draws the moisture out of the ingredients and condenses their flavor.
Expert Tips
What kind of tomatoes are best for pico de Gallo?
Roma tomatoes are a popular tomato for pico de Gallo. they have a more firm flesh, more flesh to them and less juice so they don't get super smushy and runny. However, you can really use whatever you have on hand.
What kind of onion is best?
I LOVE to combine couple of different onions. For instance, I used one small red onion and a couple of green onions. While all onions do have a "onion flavor" they still do taste slightly different and can add depth to your salsa.
FAQ's
While I fully encourage you to dig in immediately salsa does taste better the best day! The flavors of the salsa really blend together and taste so good after sitting for several hours.
There are some really strong smells in salsa you will definitely want to store it in an air tight container so it does not make your fridge smell up like onion. Keep it in the fridge for about 7-10 days in that air tight container.
YES! It is full of healthy vegetables- great for anti-inflammatory properties and healthy for your heart. These vegetables are also very low calorie!
Are you looking for more delicious recipes to pair with this pico de Gallo?
GUACAMOLE- add a little of this pico de Gallo to some avocado and you will have made a delicious guacamole.
CREAMY CHICKEN CHIPOTLE TACOS- these chicken tacos with creamy chipotle sauce are some of our very favorite to make. They are on repeat in our house.
BLACK BEAN DIP - this dip is another perfect dip to serve with your pico. You can even serve cheese and pico de Gallo on top.
Don't Be Shy!
If you tried this how to make pico de gallo recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave us a comment below. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to see what else we’re getting up to
Pico De Gallo Salsa
Ingredients
- 12 ripe tomatoes
- 1 small onion
- 2 green onions
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 2 limes
- 1 jalapeno
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop tomatoes, onion and jalapeno in to small pieces. Chop cilantro and stir in juice from limes and add garlic salt and salt and pepper to taste.
- Allow ingredients to rest and flavors to marry for at least an hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Clarence says
This is our family’s go to pico recipe. Simple and delicious! Always a crowd favorite!
John Watson says
3 yrs later and thank you. I've been hand chopping for 40 yrs because all my food processors and choppers "slice" not cube chop and I give up.
lisa says
The onione chopped has been life changing. Thanks for the recommendation.