Pico de Gallo

What is pico de gallo?

Pica de Gallo is a spicy salsa and unlike salsa verde it is not based on tomatillos but is mainly made from tomatoes. Pico de Gallo is one of the most popular sauces in Mexico and goes with practically every hearty dish. I like eating pico de gallo with quesadillas or fajitas. The fruity and spicy salsa also goes well with enchiladas, burritos and tacos or can be served as a dip for some tortilla chips or nachos.

What ingredients do you need for pico de gallo?

Traditionally pico de gallo is made from ripe tomatoes, white onions and green chillies like Jalapeños. Pica de Gallo is therefore also called Salsa Mexicana since the colors of the main ingredients are similar to the red, white and green flag of Mexico. My recipe is a modification of the common recipe and replaces the white onion with red onions or spring onions.

Choosing the right tomatoes

Best are ripe and aromatic vine or roma tomatoes. Overripe and very soft tomatoes are less suitable as they release too much liquid. If you have have very ripe and watery tomatoes you can still use them for the salsa if you remove the seeds first.

Which types of onions can be used?

White onions is the best choice when doing Pico de Gallo. Since white onions are not very common where I live I use red or spring onions.

Coriander, chili and more

Coriander is very typical for the taste of Pico de Gallo. While many people like the taste of coriander some others can’t stand it at all. However this does not seem to be a matter of personal preference but probably has a genetic cause. At least that’s what a study from the USA found out. If you’re one of those people who can’t eat cilantro you can use other herbs like parsley or basil.

You also need a jalapeño, the juice of a lime and salt and pepper to taste. I had luck for the photo to catch some Jalapeños.Normally Jalapeños are very rare where I live so I use any type of chili that is currently available. In summer I like to use home-grown red chillies or whatever else I can get.

How is Pico de Gallo prepared?

The preparation of this salsa is super easy and can be done in no time at all. Instructions with all the steps and the list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card below. For tips, hints and recipe suggestions, please continue reading.

First wash 5 tomatoes thoroughly under running water and cut them into cubes along with the red onion. If you are using spring onions remove the root and the outer dry leaves of and cut them into fine rings.

Finely dice the jalapeño or your favorite type of chilli. If you like it hot you can also use the seeds. If not cut the pod in half lengthways and remove the seeds with the back of your knife. Then wash and finely chop the coriander.

Squeeze the juice of half of a lime and put the juice into a bowl along with the other ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can either enjoy the pico de gallo right away or leave it in the fridge for one or two hours for a better taste.

I hope you like my recipe and I wish you a lot of fun trying it out 🙂

I hope you liked my post. Long nights are not uncommon for me. This is the only way I can keep up filling this blog with new content regulary. That's why the coffee supply should never being interrupted :-) If you like to you can buy me a coffee by leaving some bucks into my paypal coffee fund. That would be great.