Pico de Gallo
mexicansidevegetarianvegan
- Servings
- 4
- Yield
- about 1 1/2 cups
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 0 min
Prepared before
-
Added two strands of onion grass and 1 bird's eye chilli. Try 2 bird's eye chillies next time.
Ingredients
- 2 ripe tomatoes (Roma or plum preferred — less watery), cored and diced
- 1/4 medium white or red onion, finely diced
- 1–2 jalapeño or serrano chilies, finely diced (seeds and ribs in for more heat)
- 1–2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
- Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (about 2 tbsp)
- Juice of 1/2 lime (about 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
1. Prep
- Dice the tomatoes to roughly the size you want to bite into — about 5 mm.
- Finely dice the onion and chili, smaller than the tomato so nobody gets a raw-onion bomb in one bite.
- Mince the garlic if using. Chop the cilantro.
2. Mix
- Combine everything in a bowl with the lime juice and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Stir well.
3. Rest and taste
- Let it sit 10–15 minutes before serving. The salt pulls juice out of the tomatoes and the flavors come together.
- Taste and adjust — it should read bright, a little tangy, with a clean tomato sweetness. Add more lime or salt as needed.
Tips
- Tomatoes matter most. If yours are pale, hard, or flavorless, the pico will be too. Ripe Roma are the safest bet.
- Too watery? Salt the diced tomatoes in a strainer for 10 minutes, then pour off the liquid before mixing.
- Salt twice — once when mixing, again just before serving.
- Best fresh. Eat within a few hours. It gets soggy and the cilantro wilts in the fridge; not worth keeping past a day.
- No cilantro? Leave it out rather than substituting. Parsley is the wrong flavor. In Thailand, sawtooth coriander (phak chi farang) works well if you can find it.
- Onion too harsh? Soak the diced onion in the lime juice for 5 minutes before adding the tomato — takes the bite out.
Variations
| Variation | Change | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Spicy | Serrano instead of jalapeño, keep seeds, add a second chili | Real, lingering heat |
| Mild | Remove all seeds and ribs, use half a jalapeño, or swap for bell pepper | Kid-friendly |
| Fruity | Add 1 diced mango or peach | Sweet contrast, great with spicy mains |
| Creamy | Fold in 1 diced avocado right before serving | Richer, closer to a meal |
Pairs with
- Chicken Quesadillas
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Loaded Burrito Wraps
- Tortilla chips, as a dip
Result
Bright, crunchy, fresh tomato-and-onion salsa with a lime tang and a clean chili kick. The thing that turns a quesadilla or a bowl of tortilla chips into a real meal.