Learn how to make Pico De Gallo with this quick and easy appetizer recipe that takes no time at all to put together.
What is Pico De Gallo?
You may be wondering what pico de gallo is? It's a salsa from Mexico that is also called salsa fresca~ fresh salsa.
It is always served fresh and is quick and easy to make from these 6 ingredients. Pico De Gallo is also a great ingredient for Guacamole.
- tomatoes
- onions
- Jalapeño
- cilantro
- salt
- lime juice
How to make Salsa Fresca~ Pico De Gallo
Let's start with the tomatoes, I find the best tomatoes to use are Roma. I like how Roma tomatoes don't have many seeds in them.
No matter what type of tomatoes you choose to use I recommend deseeding the tomato.
All you need to do is slice the tomato in half and using a spoon to clean out the seeds. The Roma is the simplest to clean out, once it's cut in half take a spoon and at the smaller end push the spoon into the inside of the tomato.
Pull up on the insides and pull the insides out. Then cut the tomato in fine cubes.
The next ingredient is cilantro. Cilantro is a herb that is similar to parsley, in fact, it's also known as Chinese parsley.
It has many health benefits like helps in reducing LDL or "bad cholesterol" levels in the blood. It has a good amount of antioxidants and vitamins as well. The perfect addition to this fresh salsa.
To chop the cilantro you will want to make sure that you use a sharp knife or scissors. I like bits of cilantro in every bite so I'll chop it really finely.
Moving on to the next ingredient is an onion. Now, this is where you can change the flavor a bit to your Pico De Gallo. I really like to use red onion, since this is a fresh salsa I don't want my onion to overpower the other ingredients.
And red onions are much sweeter than most onions. It's best to marry all the ingredients together instead of having one overpowering flavor, as an onion can be.
Again like the tomato and cilantro, you will want to chop the onion really fine.
Kicking up the heat
Using a Jalapeño pepper or any other type of chili pepper that you prefer will add a little heat to the pico. If you like spicy then you can use the seeds and membrane of the Jalapeño.
If not then go ahead and remove the seeds and membrane from the pepper. Making sure to finely chop the pepper as well.
Salt and lime juice are the final ingredients to Pico De Gallo. Just a dash of salt is all that is needed. And since this is a fresh salsa it's best to use fresh lime.
Cut a lime in half and squeeze the juice from both sides onto the other ingredients. Mix everything together in a bowl. Refrigerate for one hour or overnight.
Serve as a fresh salsa on your favorite tortilla chips.
Tips and uses for Pico De Gallo
My top tip for making this type of fresh salsa is to make sure that you wash all your ingredients in cold water before you use them.
Use only fresh ingredients. It's best to let the Pico sit overnight, this helps to marry the flavors together better.
If you don't like to much heat from the Jalapeño than remove the seeds and membrane from the pepper.
Ways I like to use Pico De Gallo is as a salsa, it's a great base for my guacamole recipe, on salads, on taco's, or even on eggs. Yes, eggs!
It's the perfect topping addition to my Wet Burrito recipe as well.
Sharing one creative recipe at a time~ Jen
Other My Creative Manner Recipes you may enjoy are:
- Beef Queso Dip
- Fabulous Wet Burrito
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Chili
- Guacamole Recipe With Pico De Gallo
Fresh Pico De Gallo Recipe
Easy to make fresh salsa using 6 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 Roma tomatoes cubed
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
- ½ Cup Red Onion finely chopped
- ½ Jalapeño pepper Remove the seeds is optional
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Juice of a fresh lime
Instructions
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Wash all the ingredients with cold water
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Cut the tomatoes in half and clean out the seeds. Then cut them into fine cubes. The smaller you can get them the better. Add into a large bowl.
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With a sharp knife chop the cilantro into fine pieces. Add to the bowl with the tomatoes.
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Finely dice the red onion and add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
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Cut the jalapeño pepper in half. If you want your Pico De Gallo to be a little bit spicy then don't remove the seeds from the Jalapeño pepper. If the Jalapeño is enough heat for you then deseed the pepper by removing the seeds and membrane.
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Sprinkle the salt over the fresh ingredients
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Take a fresh lime and cut it in half. Squeeze the juice of the lime over all the ingredients. Stir the ingredients together, let sit at least 1 hour in the refrigerator or overnight. This lets the flavors marry together.
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Serve with chips or added to your favorite dishes
Recipe Notes
The nutritional value may vary depending on the ingredients used.
Thank you for visiting My Creative Manner. We hope that you enjoy this and many more of our recipes. My Creative Manner is not responsible for the outcome of any of our recipes found on our website. Or that may be linked from or to other websites. The desired outcome of these recipes may not be achieved due to several factors, including ingredients, equipment, errors/typos, or the reader's individual cooking skills.
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