Pico de Gallo Recipe – An Easy Fresh Salsa Recipe

If you love the taste of fresh salsa, you are going to love this Pico de Gallo recipe! It is an easy to make recipe that requires no cooking and only 6 ingredients.

Simply add diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno peppers in a bowl. Then stir in a little garlic, cilantro and lime juice to get that classic Mexican flavor.

This salsa is often served with tortilla chips for an easy summertime appetizer. Or you can use it as a topping for tacos, burritos, enchiladas and quesadillas.

However, don’t limit yourself to using this fresh salsa only on your favorite Mexican dish. It also adds great flavor and freshness to your morning omelet, grilled chicken, fish and even as a topping on your favorite casseroles.

Because this salsa can be used in so many ways, and because it is so easy to prepare, it is one of those recipes that you will want to make over and over again.

Best Tomato Varieties For Making Pico de Gallo (Fresh Salsa)

Although you can use just about any tomato variety when making fresh salsa, including cherry tomatoes, there is a preferred choice when it comes to getting the perfect texture for your salsa. Small, oval shape plum tomatoes make the best salsa.

However, don’t head to the store looking for tomatoes that have the label of plum tomatoes. Although you may be lucky enough to find one, these tomatoes go by several different names.

They are often called paste, Roma, or San Marzano tomatoes. Although you may even find other varieties such as Amish paste, Italian paste and Heidi tomatoes and even Saucy tomatoes.

If you don’t see anything identifying them with the above names just look for oval tomatoes that are about 3 inches in length. These plum tomatoes have thick walls and a small seed core that can easily be removed which makes them perfect for making fresh salsa.

If you have grown your own tomatoes and want to save the plum tomatoes for making pasta sauce no worries! You can use other varieties of tomatoes, like slicing tomatoes, low-acid tomatoes and even grape or cherry tomatoes, however, the salsa will be thinner.

Other Pico de Gallo Ingredients

Although this fresh salsa recipe can be adjusted to your taste preference, there are some key ingredients that make this salsa taste so good.

Onion – You can use whatever type of onion that you prefer. However, white onion is the most popular variety when making Pico de Gallo. But another popular choice is red onion as they not only provide more flavor than sweet or yellow onions, they also add a nice splash of color to the salsa as well.

Lime – You will need the juice of one whole lime. If you don’t have a fresh lime you could use bottled lime juice as a substitute. 1 lime equals approximately 2 tablespoons lime juice.

Cilantro – A classic ingredient in both fresh Mexican salsa and Restaurant Style Cooked Salsa.

Salt – Fine sea salt is the preferred choice when making a no-cook salsa. They are less processed than other salts and the crystals are smaller than Kosher salt.

Optional Ingredients:

Garlic clove – Fresh garlic is always best. Although in a pinch minced garlic from a jar will work. Are you out of garlic? No worries! Add a pinch of garlic powder or simply leave it out. It will still taste wonderful!

Jalapeño peppers – If you don’t like spicy salsa do yourself a favor and remove the ribs and seeds and then dice the green flesh. However, if you love the heat that comes with eating a jalapeno pepper simply remove the stem and dice the pepper (including the seeds and ribs). You can also add in other hot peppers such as serrano or habanero for even more heat!

Pico de Gallo Recipe

* Complete recipe instructions including specific measurements, cook temperatures and times are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to read the entire article for helpful tips and tricks when making this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup finely diced onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 lime
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 to 6 plum tomatoes (2 cups medium-diced tomatoes)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in this recipe is to finely chop the onion and place it in a small bowl. Then mince the garlic using a micro plane, knife or garlic press and place it into the bowl with the onions.

Next, cut the lime in half and juice it. A standard size lime will produce approximately 2 tablespoons of juice. Although I love my manual citrus press, you can also use long tongs to squeeze the juice out of the lime.

Once you have the juice extracted add it to the onion and garlic mixture. Set the bowl aside while you chop the other Pico de Gallo ingredients to allow the onion and garlic to marinate in the lime juice.

Adjust The Heat Level

Begin by slicing the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise.  If you like it hot, dice it with seeds and membranes intact.

However, if you would like it a little milder, remove the seeds and membrane from one or both halves, and then dice. Then add it to the onion and garlic mixture and toss.

Next, cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seed core. Then dice them into small chunks and add them to the bowl. 

Now roughly chop the cilantro and mix it in with the other ingredients. Stir gently to combine.

Give the mixture a taste and adjust the seasonings to your taste.

It is best if you cover and let the Pico de Gallo rest for a few hours in the fridge before eating to allow the flavors to meld together. Although if you can’t resist, it will still taste amazing!

ENJOY!

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