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Pico de gallo. An easy to make fresh salsa. Perfect for topping all your favorite dishes, or to enjoy with a handful of tortilla chips.
How to Make:
- Finely dice: tomato, onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. Show off your knife skills and get a really fine dice on these. If using Roma tomatoes, you dont need to remove the watery seeds in the center, because there’s not enough for it to matter. If you are using a different type of tomato, you will need to remove the excess seeds from the center and discard them.
- Add lime juice: the recipe calls for one lime, you can add up to 2 for this amount. It depends on how much juice you want in your salsa.
- Season: sprinkle in the salt and pepper. Give everything a taste and..
- Adjust: the beauty with this non-recipe is you can adjust to make this just how you want. More or less salt. More or less garlic. Other variations and substitutions are included below!
How to Make a Large Batch:
To make a large batch you will of course need more of the ingredients. Keep the ratios the same with the majority of the pico being tomatoes.
What is the difference between salsa and pico de gallo?
While the ingredients are similar, the main difference between the two is the method that is used to make them. Salsas are typically blended (like this Easy Homemade Salsa), while the pico is fresh and chunky thanks to finely dicing the ingredients by hand.
You might also hear pico referred to as “fresh salsa” because all the ingredients are fresh and raw. Typically salsas will use boiled or roasted ingredients.
Whichever you prefer, they are both wonderful options for topping your favorite dishes or for enjoying with a handful of tortilla chips!
Variations & Substitutions:
Fresh salsas can be made with so many different options. This recipe is easy to customize to make exactly what you want.
- Spice: switch up the jalapeño for an anaheim or poblano pepper for less heat, or for a Serrano if you are wanting more heat.
- Onion: to add more color or a different taste switch red onion for white.
- Citrus: swap out the lime for lemon juice.
- Additions: Some diced up avocado or cucumber. A splash of vinegar. Extra garlic or garlic powder. Or a sprinkle of some chicken bouillon instead of salt.
Some other fun swaps is to lose the tomato altogether and use fruit instead. This creates a sweet, fruity option that pairs wonderfully with chickens and fish. Some ideas include:
Serve this pico with:
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients
- 4 large roma tomatoes (1 lb) diced
- 1 medium jalapeno seeds and membranes removed
- ½ cup white onion finely diced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely dice the tomato, onion, jalapeno and cilantro.
- Add the diced ingredients to a medium size bowl.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the ingredients. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste and add more lime/salt/pepper to taste.
- Cover and let this sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill and let the flavors meld together. This also lets the juices release from the tomato and softens the jalapeno and onion.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Almost exactly how I make mine….but I don’t take out the seeds in the jalapeños and I add cumin.
Delicious!