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Learn how to make a quick 5-ingredient Pico de Gallo! This recipe calls for easy ingredients, and Pico de Gallo can be used on tacos, fajitas, or served straight with your favorite tortilla chips!
It’s chip and dip season!!
A batch of homemade Pico de Gallo is a staple in our house once spring hits. Nevermind the fact that my husband won’t even look in the general direction of raw tomatoes. Okay, it’s me. I eat all the pico in the house, alright! I admit it! It’s a simple, low-calorie, and rest assured, a healthy recipe that adds tons of flavor to salads, serves as a quick snack with tortilla chips and goes with any and allkinds of meat that you throw on the grill this season!
I ate pico by the buckets on our honeymoon, is that even a surprise now? And years and years later, I still remember the way it tasted. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, and they made pico fresh with the most delicious ripe tomatoes. So needless to say, I was piling it high on my eggs, loading it up in my shrimp tacos, and for dinner, you got it, more pico de gallo on the side, please!
My favorite thing to make come April is all the things for Cinco de Mayo. And since I shared blender salsa the other day, I figured it was time for Pico. Living in Texas certainly has it’s perks, like having full access to the best Tex-Mex food. That meansI get to try all the things and then come back here and share them with you! This is without a doubt the best job perk.
In previous years, I’ve shared how to make elotes (grilled corn with all the things), Mexican street corn salad, Mexican shrimp co*cktail stuffed avocados (a personal faveee), street tacos, easy refried beans, shrimp enchiladas in cheesy sauce, avocado corn and rice salad and the list goes on and on,
What I’m trying to say is that if you haven’t planned your Cinco de Mayo menu, rest assured I’m going to be bombarding you with a few more Cinco de Mayo recipes before the big day!
What is pico de gallo?
Depending on where you are in the world, pico de gallo is also referred to as salsa fresca. It’s a blend of fresh tomatoes and a few select ingredients. Pico de Gallo tastes great on homemade tacos and burritos, but you can also serve it with tortilla chips.
What is the difference between pico de gallo and salsa?
Pico de gallo or salsa fresca uses fresh ingredients as the name suggests. Salsa can also be made with fresh tomatoes, but some salsas are made with canned tomatoes and some with canned fire-roasted tomatoes (and sometimes the onions and peppers are roasted too.) The ingredients in pico de gallo are the starting point of salsa, but salsa often contains fresh garlic and spices, which Pico does not. Pico de Gallo is made by chopping onions, tomatoes, and peppers finely whereas most salsas are made in a blender or food processor.
Ingredients to make homemade pico de gallo:
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Jalapeños
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Salt
How to make the best pico de gallo:
I have a special trick to share with you if you want to make the best restaurant-style Pico de Gallo. Start by mincing the onions finely and allowing them to sit in the lime juice while you chop the remainder of your ingredients. I find this small little step helps take away the harsh bite from the onion and makes it much more pleasant to eat in a gathering!
Ways to use homemade salsa fresca:
You can pretty much use Pico de Gallo on anything you like! I love it with homemade taquitos, but also with my chicken or beef fajitas, served simply with chips for a dip trio, along with my homemade avocado dip+ blender salsa. You can also serve it with my chicken carnitas, or street corn chicken tacos. Plus, my homemade Pico de Gallo can be used anywhere you see fit!
Yield: ~ 2½ cups
5-Ingredient Pico de Gallo
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Learn how to make a quick 5-ingredient Pico de Gallo! This recipe calls for easy ingredients, and Pico de Gallo can be used on tacos, fajitas, or served straight with your favorite tortilla chips!
Ingredients
- 5-6 Roma tomatoes, chopped (about 1 ¼ pounds)
- ½ cup onions, finely minced (or more to taste)
- 1 -2 minced jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped (use stems too!)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more as desired)
Instructions
- Add onions and jalapeños to a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of lime juice and salt, and stir to combine, let sit for 5 minutes while you chop your tomatoes. Add the tomatoes and cilantro. Taste and adjust with additional salt or lime juice as desired. Allow the Pico de Gallo to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes (or refrigerate for 2 hours, covered) and then serve with tortilla chips or on top of your favorite foods!
- Leftover pico de gallo can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I like to remove the seeds from my tomatoes, however, this is entirely optional.
Have you made this recipe?
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FAQs
Also called salsa fresca or salsa cruda, pico de gallo is a fresh Mexican salsa made of finely chopped ripe tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime. In English, its name literally means “rooster's beak,” though there's no definitive reason why we call it that.
What is pico de gallo seasoning made of? ›
Stir tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, garlic, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Enjoy!
What makes pico de gallo different from salsa? ›
Pico de Gallo is a fresh chopped mix of tomato, onion, jalapeño, lime, and cilantro while salsa is a cooked or uncooked blended version of the same ingredients with other variations. Salsa Verde is made with tomatillos instead of tomato.
How do you make pico de gallo less watery? ›
The key is to salt your fresh tomatoes prior to putting the pico de Gallo recipe together. That's because the salt will help draw water out of the tomatoes. Once that salt has been drawn from the tomatoes, you can mix the tomatoes with the rest of the vegetables and won't have to worry so much about a watery mixture.
What does pico de gallo do to your body? ›
Pico de Gallo contains high amounts of vitamin C, which is essential for a healthy immune system. Vitamin C helps your body produce white blood cells that fight off infections and diseases. Regular consumption of Pico de Gallo can boost your immune system and protect you from illnesses.
Does pico de gallo contain vinegar? ›
Dressed with oil and vinegar, this pico de gallo is made with fresh tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños, and spices for fresh flavor no matter how you use it.
Why does my pico de gallo taste bland? ›
Make sure you season the pico de gallo well! Your pico de gallo can taste a bit bland when you don't season with salt properly.
Why is my pico de gallo bitter? ›
As tomatoes ripen, their sugars start to convert to acids, resulting in a bitter taste. It's important to use fresh, firm tomatoes for your salsa to avoid any bitterness. Additionally, removing the tomato seeds can help reduce bitterness, as they can contain bitter compounds.
Why is pico de gallo so good? ›
Pico de gallo is a salsa popular with Mexican food, like tacos, nachos, or quesadillas. Pico de gallo is a great ingredient for Hispanic dishes, because it is less liquid than other salsas, while also has the same, great flavor. Like most other salsas, pico de gallo is made with tomatoes and other bold ingredients.
What do Americans call pico de gallo? ›
The most common type of pico de gallo, which literally means “beak of rooster,” is a Mexican salsa fresca (fresh salsa) or salsa crudo (raw salsa). (Salsa, of course, is Spanish for sauce, and in some regions, pico de gallo can refer to other types of fresh fruit or crunchy vegetable salads.)
Pico de gallo is generally considered healthier since it isn't cooked so the raw nutrients in the sauce aren't altered. However, salsa has a lot of the same nutrition, just partially processed.
What is a nickname for pico de gallo? ›
Pico de gallo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈpiko ðe ˈɣaʝo], lit. 'rooster's beak'), also called salsa fresca ('fresh sauce'), salsa bandera ('flag sauce'), and salsa cruda ('raw sauce'), is a type of salsa commonly used in Mexican cuisine.
Should you drain the juice from pico de gallo? ›
I always try to wait at least an hour before serving to let the flavors marinade and blend. Serve your homemade pico de gallo with a slotted spoon or drain some of the liquid with a sieve. The tomatoes release a lot of juice and this helps to get rid of some of the extra liquid.
Should you drain tomatoes for pico de gallo? ›
Salting and draining diced tomatoes improves their texture, flavor, and color. Opting for smaller varieties, like plum, cherry, or grape tomatoes, gives you more flavorful tomatoes in the off season.
How to keep pico de gallo from getting soggy? ›
Tips and Tricks for Pico de Gallo. Remove tomato seeds. We are going to quarter our Roma tomatoes then scoop out the seeds and watery flesh because it doesn't add flavor – only liquid – to our Pico de Gallo. Scooping out the seeds also helps the salsa store better without becoming overly soggy or watery.
What is the original meaning of pico de gallo? ›
Translated in Spanish, pico de gallo literally means “beak of rooster.” Some believe this is because it was originally eaten by pinching between the thumb and finger, making the shape of a rooster's beak. Pico de gallo, however, has nothing to do with roosters, or birds in general.
What are the ingredients in Park Street deli pico de gallo? ›
INGREDIENTS: roma tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, red onions, lime juice, cilantro.
What does Pico mean in pico de gallo? ›
Many native residents of the Sonoran Mexico region explain that the salsa is thus named because the serrano pepper resembles a rooster's beak in shape. The Spanish picar means "to chop" or "to bite" (in the sense of a spicy chili having a "bite"); in the first person conjugation, picar becomes pico.
What is my pico de gallo missing? ›
If it's missing something, it's probably salt. Spice it up. If you want the Pico de Gallo to be spicier then add some of the reserved jalapeno seeds or a pinch of cayenne.
